BYU NewsNet - Labor fears eased for pregnant Hispanics

For those new to the English language or even to American culture, communicating can be a frightening experience — Especially when you’re pregnant.

A recent study evaluated the effectiveness of the Hispanic Labor Friend Initiative, a program located at Ogden’s Midtown Community Health Center, compared to regular health care provided to Hispanic pregnant women. The study was performed by members of BYU’s College of Nursing and was recently published in “Maternal and Child Health Journal.”

The program pairs a Hispanic Labor Friend with a primarily Spanish-speaking pregnant woman in order to provide a translator and supporter during the pregnancy.

According to the evaluation, the women felt more comfortable with Hispanic healthcare workers and HLFs. The health center workers felt that they were able to provide better care when HLFs were present.

The HLFs were bilingual and bicultural Hispanic mothers seen as leaders in the community. These women were assigned to assist Hispanic women who were relatively new to the U.S. and had little knowledge of the pregnancy process. For many women, a HLF provided social support that was not given elsewhere.

“Many women had no family members present during the birth,” ‘07 nursing graduate and first author of the evaluation, Cambria Jones Hazard, said in an e-mail. “It was a great comfort to them to have an experienced friend who could give encouragement and tell them what to expect.

Many of the pregnant women had been in the United States for less than two years.

“They all appreciated their HFL and it helped many of them to make a transition to motherhood/moving to the United States,” Hazard said.

The HLFs provided a bridge between the pregnant women and the health care system, helping them understand the system and available services, said Ana C. Sanchez-Birkhead, co-author of the study and assistant professor in the College of Nursing.

Though some medical facilities have translators for Hispanic patients, translators have limited hours or are busy translating for other people.

“The language barriers can be very detrimental to women’s health care,” Sanchez-Birkhead said.

With the growing Hispanic population in Utah County, she hopes it will be an example to local hospitals.

“My hope is that hospitals in the area would take a look at this program and see how they might implement it in their practice and in their healthcare system,” Sanchez-Birkhead said.