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Latino
Cultural
Profile
Women’s
Health
- An Hispanic woman’s status is derived in a large part by
the number of children she produces, thus if feasible she will
avoid having a hysterectomy
- Hispanics generally consider pregnancy a hot condition,
causing Hispanic women to avoid hot protein-rich foods during
pregnancy
- Hispanic women tend to express immense love and concern
through excessive care and attention to ill family members,
sometimes to the point of interfering with rehabilitation
- Modesty is extremely important in dealing with Hispanic
woman, they must be provided with the utmost privacy
- Generally, Hispanic women prefer that their mothers attend
to them during labor
- Many older Mexican women may wear rosaries which should not
be removed if possible
- Many Mexican mothers believe in the evil eye, an evil that
one casts on another causing them to become ill. In Mexican
culture, babies are thought of as week and very vulnerable to
the power of an envious glance. A compliment without a touch
can bring on the evil eye. Touching the person while
complimenting him , neutralizes the power of the evil eye.
- Many Mexican women view pregnancy as a normal condition, not
necessarily requiring the assistance of a physician, elder
women provide support and information and prenatal care is
avoided
- Mexican women in labor often chant the phrase "aye yie
yie" while in labor. What may appear to be an annoyance
is actually a form of "folk Lamaze." Repeating the
phrase in succession several times, necessitates taking long,
slow, deep breaths. Thus, it is a cultural method for
alleviating pain.
- If possible, a laboring Hispanic woman should be placed in
the same room as a patient of the same or similar culture, so
that their respective expressions of pain are not burdensome
or confounding to the other patient
- Mexican women typically practice a lying-in period of 6
weeks, the time thought necessary for the womb to return to
normal. During this period the woman’s body is thought to be
extremely weak and vulnerable to external forces. The woman is
not to bathe or exercise
- Many Mexican women will not breast feed until they return
home from the hospital. They believe that they have no milk
until their breasts enlarge and they can actually see it. Some
view colostrums as "bad milk" or "spoiled"
and therefore not good for the baby. They do not realize that
milk production is stimulated by nursing, others are too
modest to expose their breasts. The mother should be informed
of the importance of colostrums to the baby’s health and
given privacy to feed.
- Mexican women often practice a custom involving a coin to
insure their infant has an attractive belly button. A coin is
applied to an infant’s naval and the area is wrapped tightly
with a cloth to keep the coin in place. A protruding belly
button is considered highly distasteful.
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