Page 25 - Non-western women in maternity care in the Netherlands • Exploring ‘inadequate’ use of prenatal care and the experiences of care professionals

with these lay interpreters. Telephone interpretation is preferred when discussing sensitive issues or providing important instructions to make sure that the client understands the instructions, e.g. at the beginning and at the end of childbirth. Other resources used are translated leaflets with important information about prenatal screening, preparing for childbirth and coping with pain. These leaflets can be found in various languages on the websites of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Royal Dutch Organization of Midwives (KNOV). The Internet was also used to show non-western clients films about childbirth. In addition to the Internet, midwives also use pictures, drawings and non-verbal communication in their contact with non-western clients who do not have sufficient command of the Dutch language.
My experience when we use telephone interpretation is that we see people perk up when they are addressed in their own language. You can use hands and feet and ask if the baby is moving well, but now she can really tell me how it is. And I must say that this always encourages me to use this method when I see what it does to people. (R7)
Discussion
This study aimed to explore the experiences of primary care midwives with non-western clients in the Netherlands. Data were collected through individual interviews and a focus group. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: having a mixture of positive and negative feelings, facing difficulties in the provision of care and aiming for optimal care in the interests of mother and child.
The mixture of positive and negative feelings sheds new light on the experiences of care providers with non-western clients. Whereas studies conducted previously had described negative feelings such as frustration [5,26,27] and the difficulties encountered, this study revealed that the midwives interviewed also derive positive feelings such as satisfaction from working with non-western clients.
The difficulties faced in providing care are consistent with the results of studies conducted in other western countries among midwives or other maternity care providers. These studies also reported communication
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