Experiences of Chinese immigrant women following “Zuo Yue Zi” in British Columbia

Aims and objectives To describe Chinese women's experiences with “zuo yue zi” in British Columbia, Canada. Background Women born in China and Taiwan are increasingly immigrating to westernised countries. Many women choose to follow traditional Chinese postpartum practices, also called “zuo yue zi.” Few studies have examined women's use of traditional practices in western countries. Design The study used a qualitative descriptive design. Methods We recruited 13 mothers who were: aged 19 or older, immigrants from mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan in the last 5 years, and caring for infants born in the previous 6 weeks. Semistructured interviews were conducted in Mandarin, translated into English, transcribed and analysed using inductive content analysis. Results The core theme was Chinese women's novel encounters with “zuo yue zi.” The women's expectations of “zuo yue zi” were acquired through birth experiences or interactions with family and friends. The participants struggled with implementing traditional practices because social support and formal institutional structures were lacking. They modified their expectations about “zuo yue zi.” Factors affecting their practices were catalysts and deterrents. Catalysts included help from Chinese family members, friends and informed healthcare providers. Deterrents included unregulated paid helpers, uninformed care providers, financial constraints and structural limitations in their new environments. Conclusions Chinese immigrant women struggled to modify and implement traditional practices in their adopted country when they encountered financial constraints, unregulated paid helpers and varying support from health care providers. Relevance to clinical practice Some postpartum women following “zuo yue zi” believed that the practice would prevent chronic illness and strengthen their intrafamily relationships. Immigrant mothers require nursing support to follow traditional postpartum practices. Nurses can advocate on patients’ behalf to increase care providers’ knowledge about “zuo yue zi” and public awareness for necessary regulated institutional structures.