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- Worldwide midwifery has been regarded as a female domain until recently where female and male student nurses are trained to become midwives/accoucheurs. Most women are still reluctant to receive maternal healthcare from student accoucheurs. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of women regarding student accoucheurs’ involvement in maternal health care in the Free State Province. A descriptive, exploratory, qualitative research design was undertaken. The study was conducted in the Free State Province. Three regional hospitals, two district hospitals and five Primary Health Care clinics were purposefully selected to make a total of 10 maternal health care institutions that were used as data collection sites. Data was collected using one on one semi-structured interviews with 30 women in the post-partum period, 18 years of age and above, attending for post-natal health care services at the Free State maternal health care institutions. Data was organised and stored using ATLAS.ti program and analysed using Tesch’s open coding approach. The majority of the participants did not approve of student accoucheurs’ involvement in maternal health care. The perceptions of the participants were influenced by cultural beliefs, values, socio-economic factors and social interactions. The study findings cannot be generalized to the other provinces because the study was contextualized to the Free State Province. This study highlights the importance of understanding and consideration of cultural diversity in the provision of health care services.
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- Problem: The prevalence of herbal medicine (isihlambezo) use is on the rise worldwide, especially amongst pregnant women. Most women believe that traditional medicine use has significance and advantages to them and their unborn babies during pregnancy. There are few scientific studies about its safety for pregnant women and their babes, regardless of possible teratogenic effects that may result in fatalities amongst pregnant women, who continue to consume isihlambezo. Aim: The study aimed to explore and describe experiences of pregnant women regarding the use of traditional herbal medicine (isihlambezo). Methodology: Qualitative descriptive phenomenology research design was employed in this study. Twelve participants who were purposefully selected to collect data were interviewed until data saturation was reached using unstructured interviews as data collecting strategy. Data was analysed by using Colaizzi steps of phenomenological data analysis. Results: Several themes and sub-themes emerged from the study which included myths about isihlambezo, traditional and cultural beliefs, indication and effects of isihlambezo. Most participants expressed strong beliefs regarding the use of traditional herbal medicine (isihlambezo). Therefore, it is evident that isihlambezo continues to gain momentum among pregnant women despite not being scientifically tested for its safety use during pregnancy. Conclusion: The study’s findings revealed that factors such as unemployment, poverty, lack of education and beliefs contribute to the high uptake of traditional herbal medicine (isihlambezo) among pregnant women. Hence, its consumption during pregnancy is on the rise despite its unknown safety. Contribution: Maternal healthcare institutions should consider reviewing the safety use traditional herbal medicine (isihlambezo).
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- In Africa, some women are still heavily depending on traditional medicine during childbearing to maintain healthy pregnancy, postpartum recovery and for infant care. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of traditional medicine use and associated factors of its use during childbearing. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and individual interviews were conducted with 140 women. The results indicated that majority of women (79%) were still using traditional medicine during childbearing for different purposes even with the availability of free health care services. The most commonly used traditional medicine used during pregnancy was isihlambezo. Umhlabelo herbal mixture was the most cited remedy used for post-partum recovery. For infant care, imbiza was the only used traditional remedy. The results of this study highlight the need for health care workers to be aware of this practice and be able to provide mediation during ante-natal care classes.
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- Background: Traditional practices and beliefs influence and support the behavior of women during pregnancy and childbirth in different parts of the world. Not much research has been conducted to examine whether and how cultural traditions continue to shape maternity experiences of Zulu women. The aim of this study is to establish the extent at which women in certain rural communities adhere to traditional food taboos and practices during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and infants feeding, in comparison to what is recommended by health care workers. Methods: A survey was conducted in the rural northern KwaZulu-Natal between 2017 and 2020. A total of 140 women between the ages of 18 and 90 years were interviewed and they were chosen purposively based on their experiences in pregnancy, postpartum recovery, infant care, and their willingness to share the knowledge. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Most (64%) of the participants said that they adhered to these cultural food taboos and practices. The most common foods avoided were certain fruits [mango, naartjie, orange, papaya, and peach], butternut, eggs, sweets (sugar, commercial juice, sweet food, and honey), chili, ice, and alcohol. The most recommended foods during pregnancy were leafy vegetables, fruits (except the avoided ones), liver, and fish. For postpartum recovery, women mostly consumed soft porridge, all fruits and vegetables, beetroot, and tea. Food not allowed for children younger than 2 years included meat, sugar and sweets, and chewable foods. Conclusion: Differences on food taboos and practices between participants who received formal education and those who did not received it were insignificant. The beliefs about the detrimental effects of some foods were not backed up by scientific research. Restriction of some orange/yellow colored fruits during pregnancy that are rich in vitamin A and/or C may affect daily requirements of these micronutrients, and the foods recommended during pregnancy and postpartum period would not provide all the essential nutrients required for successful pregnancy. However, some of the food taboos would protect women from unhealthy eating. Our findings provide a basis for developing culturally appropriate nutritional mediation programs for Zulu women with a view to provide effective nutritional counseling.
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