6 of 10 a dependence on self management a belief in

6 of 10
• A dependence on self-management, a belief in the normality of labor and birth, and a tradition of delivery at home
might influence some women to arrive at the hospital in advanced labor. The need to travel a long distance to the
closest hospital might also be a factor contributing to arrival during late labor or to out-of-hospital delivery for
many American Indian women living on rural, isolated reservations.
• Liberian women are reluctant to share information about pregnancy and childbirth as these subjects are taboo to
talk about with others.
• Husbands or male elders are the ones who make decisions about allowing a woman to seek care at a clinic or
hospital when she is experiencing a difficult and arduous labor. Further complicating this situation, women are
reluctant to seek professional health care at clinics or hospitals because they are more comfortable in their own
homes with traditional (but untrained) birth attendants
Support During Childbirth
• Despite the traditional emphasis on female support and guidance during labor, women from diverse cultures
report a desire to have husbands or partners present for the birth.
• Spouses or partners are now encouraged and even expected to make important contributions in supporting
pregnant women during labor. Unfortunately, some US hospitals still enforce rules that limit the support person
from attending the birth unless he or she has attended a formal childbirth education program.
• Many women also wish to have their mother or some other female relative or friend present during labor and birth.
Cultural Expression of Labor Pain
• Although the pain threshold is remarkably similar in all persons, regardless of gender or social, ethnic, or cultural
differences, these differences play a definite role in a person’s perception and expression of pain. Pain is a highly
personal experience, dependent on cultural learning, the context of the situation, and other factors unique to the
individual (Ludwig-Beymer, 2008).
• In the past, it was commonly believed that because women from Asian and Native American cultures were stoic,
they did not feel pain in labor (Bachman, 2000). In addition to the physiologic processes involved, cultural
attitudes toward the normalcy and conduct of birth, expectations of how a woman should act in labor, and the role
of significant others influence how a woman expresses and experiences labor pain.
• Callister and Vega (1998) reported that Guatemalan women in labor tend to vocalize their pain. Coping strategies
include moaning or breathing rhythmically and massaging the thighs and abdomen.
• Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, and other women of Asian descent maintain that screaming or crying
out during labor or birth is shameful; birth is believed to be painful but something to be endured.