BackgroundMaternity health care available in Canada is based on the needs of women born in Canada and often lacks the flexibility to meet the needs of immigrant women. The purpose of this study was to explore immigrant Chinese women’s experiences in accessing maternity care, the utilization of maternity health services, and the obstacles they perceived in Canada.MethodsThis descriptive phenomenology study used in-depth semi-structured interviews to examine immigrant Chinese women’s experiences. Fifteen participants were recruited from the Chinese community in Toronto, Canada by using purposive sampling. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim into written Chinese. The transcripts were analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological method.ResultsSix themes were extracted from the interviews: (1) preference for linguistically and culturally competent healthcare providers, with obstetricians over midwives, (2) strategies to deal with the inconvenience of the Canadian healthcare system (3) multiple resources to obtain pregnancy information, (4) the merits of the Canadian healthcare system, (5) the need for culturally sensitive care, and (6) the emergence of alternative supports and the use of private services.ConclusionsThe findings provide new knowledge and understanding of immigrant Chinese women’s experiences in accessing maternity health services within a large metropolitan Canadian city. Participants described two unique experiences within the themes: preference for linguistically and culturally competent healthcare providers, with obstetricians over midwives, and the emergence of alternative supports and the use of private services. Few studies of immigrant maternity service access have identified these experiences which may be linked to cultural difference. Further investigation with women from different cultural backgrounds is needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of immigrant women’s experiences with maternity care.

This research was conducted to describe Taiwanese mothers' lived experience of caring for their child diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy. Analysis of eight interviews by Colaizzi's method revealed six themes: (1) difficulty confirming the diagnosis; (2) powerlessness toward unsatisfactory treatment; (3) struggles with decisions around carrier testing; (4) guilt about being a carrier; (5) support from family, other parents, and religion; and (6) lack of integrated resources and support. The results suggest the need to raise public and physician awareness about adrenoleukodystrophy via the media and medical education. A central organization to provide parents with comprehensive information is needed.

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This prospective, descriptive study used a repeated‐measures design to explore preterm infants' biobehavioral responses to 24‐hour neonatal caregiving and positioning, and the factors associated with changes in their biobehavioral responses. Thirty preterm infants (gestational age 27.6–36.1 weeks) were observed for 3 days to record biobehavioral responses. Infants' disorganized behaviors increased as caregiving intrusiveness and supine positioning increased. Social interactions did not lead to increases in infants' disorganized behaviors, but to increased regulatory behaviors. Non‐nutritive sucking (NNS), and prone positioning reduced occurrences of infant disorganized behaviors. Routine caregiving increased instability of oxygen saturation, but lateral and prone positioning improved physiological stability. Clinicians can appropriately provide NNS, positioning, and social interactions to promote biobehavioral stability. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 35:634–646, 2012