Let this be a safe place: a qualitative study into midwifery care for forcibly displaced women in the Netherlands

Forcibly displaced women in the Netherlands face increased chances of perinatal mortality and other adverse pregnancy and childbirth outcomes compared to the resident country population, which has been linked to suboptimal care. This study was conducted to gain insights from the experiences of Dutch midwives to inform and enhance the provision of tailored and equitable care for forcibly displaced women.

We conducted a qualitative study using semistructured interviews with community midwives who provide care for forcibly displaced women (asylum seekers and recognized refugees) in the Netherlands. Through thematic analysis, we identified the barriers midwives encounter in providing care and explored their strategies for navigating these barriers, aiming to inform recommendations that advance equitable care provision.

Interviews with eleven midwives revealed barriers across three thematic levels: (1) the interactional level, where barriers related to language and interpreters, cultural differences, and building trust impeded positive interactions between midwives and forcibly displaced women; (2) the organizational level, where barriers concerning relocations of asylum seekers, delays in accessing care, and interdisciplinary collaboration impeded optimal care; and (3) the contextual level, where barriers related to women’s housing conditions, the resettlement process and the mental health of forcibly displaced women impeded midwives’ to respond to clients’ needs. These levels of barriers culminated in a core theme of imbalance between midwives’ expanded responsibilities and the limited resources and strategies available to them in care for forcibly displaced women. This imbalance forced midwives into multiple roles, increased both the practical and emotional burden on them, and undermined their ability to provide optimal, equitable care.

To enhance the provision of equitable pregnancy and childbirth care for forcibly displaced women in the Netherlands, it is crucial to target the imbalance between the responsibilities that midwives bear and the resources available to them. This requires dismantling barriers at the interactional, organizational and contextual level of care through targeted policy interventions. Structural determinants that perpetuate the imbalance in midwives’ work and restrict their scope of influence, such as restrictive migration policies that contribute to socioeconomic marginalization and poor housing conditions, need to be addressed. Ultimately, midwives themselves require more support and education to recognize and combat injustices in pregnancy and childbirth care for forcibly displaced women.