Seeking a healthy baby: Hispanic women's views of pregnancy and prenatal care.

The goal of this study was to develop a grounded theory of pregnancy and prenatal care for a cohort of Hispanic women residing in an industrial city in the Northeast. Twenty-one women, of predominantly Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage, participated in in-depth interviews lasting 30-50 minutes in which they shared their views of pregnancies and prenatal care including cultural influences on pregnancy, social support, initiation of prenatal care, and interest and participation in perinatal education. The core category, seeking a healthy baby, emerged from the data using a constant comparison analysis method. The women enhanced their chances of achieving the goal of having a healthy baby three ways: (1) caring for self by having a positive attitude, viewing pregnancy as normal, seeking education, eating healthily, balancing activity and rest, having good habits, and initiating and continuing prenatal care; (2) receiving support from their network in the form of receiving advice, listening to problems and concerns, and providing housing, babysitting, financial aid, and transportation; and (3) accepting care from providers in Western and folk medicine.