Becoming a new parent : pregnancy, birthing and parenting experiences of refugee mothers and fathers in New South Wales

![CDATA[Health care providers are in the forefront of health provision for the world’s growing number of refugees, many of whom are of child-bearing age. Becoming a parent in an unfamiliar cultural environment presents challenges for women and men who are newly arrived refugees in contrast to the experiences of mainstream parents. In Australia and internationally, there is growing recognition of the need to understand the experiences and service needs of women and men who are either humanitarian or economic migrants and are becoming parents for the first time or are now raising their children in a new country. Using a qualitative interpretive design informed by Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology, 26 parents took part in face-to face, digitally recorded interview between February to November, 2016. An analysis of findings yielded three themes namely: being a burden, living in two worlds; being supported. Many parents in the study were not sure of what to expect from the Australian health system. Not knowing the physiological changes in the mothers’ bodies made pregnancy difficult and parenting was negotiated through a blend of parenting practices in the participants’ countries of birth and that of Australia. The challenges of becoming pregnant and parenting in a new country can be overcome through professional support from the health care providers.]]