Traversing Traditions: Prenatal Care and Birthing Practice Preferences Among Black Women in North Florida

Our goal was to explore prenatal practices and birthing experiences among Black women living in an urban North Florida community.

Non-random qualitative study.

Private spaces at a convenient location selected by the participant.

Eleven Black women, aged 25-36 years, who were either pregnant or had given birth at least once in the past five years in North Florida.

Semi-structured interviews were completed in July 2017, followed by thematic analysis of interview transcripts.

Four main themes emerged: a) decision-making strategies for employing alternative childbirth preparation (ie, midwives, birthing centers, and doulas); b) having access to formal community resources to support their desired approaches to perinatal care; c) seeking advice from women with similar perspectives on birthing and parenting; and d) being confident in one's decisions. Despite seeking to incorporate "alternative" methods into their birthing plans, the majority of our participants ultimately delivered in-hospital.

Preliminary results suggest that culturally relevant and patient-centered decision-making might enhance Black women's perinatal experience although further research is needed to see if these findings are generalizable to a heterogenous US Black population. Implications for childbirth educators and health care professionals include: 1) recognizing the importance of racially and professionally diverse staffing in obstetric care practices; 2) empowering patients to communicate and achieve their childbirth desires; 3) ensuring an environment that is not only free of discrimination and disrespect, but that embodies respect (as perceived by patients of varied racial backgrounds) and cultural competence; and, 4) providing access to education and care outside of traditional work hours.