Indigenous factors relevant for Safe Birth in Cultural Safety among Nancue ñomndaa communities in Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

Culturally unsafe approaches have governed the study of Indigenous birthing systems in the South of Mexico. The actions that these approaches promote tend to perpetuate the dominance of Western views in the shaping of health care systems; thus, reducing their cultural pertinence and quality. In this protocol, we propose a methodology to understand the most relevant factors associated with safe birth according to the knowledge of traditional Indigenous midwives. We propose to use conversations as a methodology to promote intercultural dialogue. Conversations recognize mutual interaction and construction of meaning, thus allowing for Western and Indigenous practitioners to interchange knowledge and mutually enrich each other. Three experienced traditional midwives will participate in one-to-one conversations with an indigenous researcher. They will provide the first level of understanding on the meaning of relevant factors for safe birth in their communities. A group of non-indigenous Academic researchers will participate in the process sharing their knowledge about the issue and support the analysis process. These initial results will go to a group session with traditional midwives and their apprentices to check the content, suggest additional elements and share the knowledge among them. This study is part of a bigger effort to support and strength the practices of the traditional midwives in these communities.