Background and purpose: The role of older women close to the pregnant woman may be relevant when conveying information. The use of theories/models can guide the development of nursing practice.
Purpose: To explore beliefs and practices related to pregnancy and childbirth from the perspective of older women who gave birth at home, applying Leininger's Sunrise Model.
Methods: Qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with 24 older women who gave birth at home (rural area, Spain). Manual content analysis of the data was used, and Sunrise Model guided to explore the role of culture and the factors affecting maternity care.
Results: Two main categories emerged: beliefs/practices related to physiological aspects (subcategories: minimal intervention, hygiene, pain control, rest, feeding) and to psychosocial aspects (subcategories: spiritual well-being, company).
Implications for practice: The experiences of older women who gave birth at home helped us to understand some beliefs that survive in some pregnant women, similar in different cultures, and divided into physiological and psychosocial aspects. Older women have a relevant role as transmitters of information, and can provide some keys to plan health interventions, as companions or counselors. Applying the Sunrise Model, we verified the weight that culture has in maternal health care, and the multiple factors that interfere with the way of caring. The application of models helps us to improve nursing practice: not only should we focus on knowing the physical aspects, but also the social and cultural circumstances surrounding the pregnant woman.
Keywords: culture; maternal–child nursing; qualitative research; transcultural nursing.
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