Purpose: To describe a healthy mother, a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, and the resources essential for achieving these goals from the perspective of Mexican women in a new destination immigrant community in the United States. Background: Traditional care and health behaviors are often cited to explain the favorable birth outcomes of Mexican-born women in the United States. Little is known about the approaches Mexican women use to have healthy babies in new destination communities. Sample: Eleven Mexican women of childbearing age in the early years of their settlement participated in semifocused ethnographic interviews. Findings: Healthy mothers have good nutrition and abstain from substance use. Healthy pregnancies are worry-free and tranquil, and healthy behaviors are supported by networks of people with good morals who motivate women and provide sound advice. Information needs include vitamin supplementation before and after pregnancy and family planning. English skills and having the courage to go out and meet people are vital for healthy childbearing. Conclusions and Implications: Informed prenatal care programs preserve diet and low substance use behaviors, reduce stress, and provide networking opportunities and information about family planning, prenatal care services, nutrition, and folic acid supplementation.
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