HI! Just wondering if anyone could share their experiences with Muslim women in the OB area. I am in nursing school doing my OB rotation , and my clinical group is going an analysis of Muslim women in the US. We are trying to fnd out first hand what their healthcare practices are that they still incorporate because of their culture. My father's side is Muslim from Egypt, but I figured for the sake of diversity, I would like to get other opinions. We have to touch on the following areas, if there is anything you could share I would appreciate it!

*Fertility and Birth Control

*Pregnancy

*Labor and Delivery

*Postpartum Care

*Infant Care

*Childrearing/parenting practices

*Health Promotion of mothers and children

*Effects of healthcare practices

When I worked in a pregnancy center a couple of years after I graduated from nursing school I met this Muslim couple from Egypt. The husband was a student at the university and spoke very little English and his wife spoke none at all. He asked me if it would be possible for his wife to have a woman doctor at all of her prenatal visits and to deliver her baby. I encouraged him to request a female nurse practitioner whenever they scheduled her prenatal visits since there were no female ob/gyns in our office. I also explained to him that there could be no guarantee that she would get a female ob/gyn when she goes into labor, that it would depend who was on call that day. We studied cultural diversity in nursing school and it really does help to have an understanding of other people's culture.

Hi!

You might be trying to grasp too large a concept with *muslim cultural experiences...* Based on my experience having worked in five different contexts where Islam was dominating - there were differences, as there would be cultural aspects heavily affecting *womens issues* when you think of Christian women coming from different backgrounds and georaphical locations. geena

Maybe I should rephrase, are there any Muslim nurses out there who might incorporate their beliefs into healthcare practices here in the US. Or are their any nurses out there who have had the actual experience taking care of a Muslim woman in L&D or any other womens healthcare setting (specifically OB)? I know it is a broad topic, because there are different customs based on different regions. We were trying to focus on Egypt, but any imput would be appreciated! :wink2: Thanks!

Have done antenatal in Darfur. Northern Africa no.

By the way, since your topic is about muslim women in the US - maybe you should present this is a forum discussing OB nursing in the US?

Geena

:wink2: Thank you I will give that a try!