Neonatal Intensive Care

Having a medically unwell neonate can be a devastating experience for parents who are already experiencing the normal stresses of parenthood. Migrant and refugee background parents are particularly vulnerable without the social support of family and community (Morton et al., 2015). Parental stress is influenced by cultural backgrounds and the availability of social support. For migrants, a new health and social system and the lack of available extended family networks may make it more difficult to obtain the social support needed when their baby is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

When babies are in the neonatal intensive care unit, migrant parents find the experience stressful due to: the child’s appearance and behaviour; the parental role alterations; NICU sights and sounds; and the difficulty communicating with staff (Lee et al, 2005).

Migrant parents from CALD backgrounds indicate the following difficulties in their experience of neonatal intensive care units (Lee et al, 2005):

• Lack of confidence: parents want to be more involved with the care of their baby but may lack confidence in their current caretaking skills.
• Self-blame: parents may blame themselves that the baby was born with problems.
• CALD parents will be concerned about upsetting grandparents who are offshore. They may not tell their parents and other family members about their baby’s problem.
• Migrant and refugee background families may lack family support in New Zealand.
• Language barriers with health care providers. Parents may be unfamiliar with medical terminology; and may not be well informed about their neonate’s condition or treatment plan. It is critical that health practitioners use a qualified interpreter.
• Families may not understand the differences between the medical management approaches provided in New Zealand and those in their homeland