Browsing by Author "Mpongwana-Ncetani, Sibongile"

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    Experiences of Xhosa women providing kangaroo mother care in a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) Mpongwana-Ncetani, Sibongile; Lachman, Anusha; Roomaney, Rizwana; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Psychiatry.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been recognized as one of the interventions to improve preterm birth outcomes by the World Health Organization. KMC requires high user engagement and consists of continuous skin‐to‐skin contact between the mother and infant and exclusive breastfeeding. We conducted a qualitative study of Xhosa women (n=10) practicing KMC in a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa. All interviews were conducted in IsiXhosa, audio recorded, and transcribed. The transcribed data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (1) KMC, a beneficial but foreign concept; (2) distress in the KMC ward; due to factors like poor milk supply, uncomfortable nursing positions and sleep deprivation; (3) themissing umbilical cord: experiences ofmothers in theKMC ward reflecting on respect for cultural and traditional practices but having limited knowledge of its significance themselves; and (4) the KMC village: interpersonal relations in the ward that oscillates between staff and fellow patient mothers. Our study showed that cultural practices still pose a challenge to fully accepting KMC. We suggest more studies on cultural sensitivity to encourage acceptance of interventions that affect culturally diverse groups.