Birth across Borders: Migueleña Maternal Experience in Palm Beach County, Florida

Authors

Inbal Mazar, Drake UniversityFollow

Author Bio(s)

Inbal Mazar is an Assistant Professor of Spanish language and culture at Drake University. Living in six countries sparked an appreciation for cultures worldwide. She strives to share this enthusiasm by promoting culture in and out of the classroom and building connections between students with local, national and international communities. She earned a PhD in Comparative Studies (Florida Atlantic University 2015) with a focus on Gender Studies and Sociology and a master’s degree in Spanish (Florida Atlantic University 2008). Her research centers on migration and health from a transnational perspective. She has conducted comparative transnational fieldwork in San Miguel Acatán, a highland hamlet in Huehuetenango, Guatemala and in Palm Beach County, Florida to better understand how migration influences Guatemalan Maya maternal care.

Publication Date

4-29-2020

Keywords

maternal care, migration, Guatemala, Florida, Palm Beach, San Miguel Acatan, Acatec

Abstract

Dangers for pregnant Maya women in San Miguel Acatán, a highland hamlet in Huehuetenango, Guatemala are exceptionally high. Those who migrate to Palm Beach County, Florida also face significant risks during pregnancy. However, conceptualizing migrants as vulnerable and non-agentive dismisses the opportunity to explore other dimensions of migrant women experiences. Interviews with Migueleña mothers and midwives and health professionals and advocates in both regions revealed resilience strategies Migueleña migrants create and employ as they navigate linguistically and culturally foreign medical systems. The support they provide each other results in more positive maternal experiences under arduous circumstances. Over time, Migueleñas are able to adapt to the new environment through a network of support and a combination of familiar birth practices and those in the new system.

DOI

10.32727/26.2021.13

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.