BACKGROUND:
Maternal and infant well-being is a global health priority. In Canada, the cultural needs of immigrant mothers are often inadequately addressed, contributing to persistent gaps in postpartum care. As the Canadian immigrant population grows, there is a pressing need for postpartum care models that address the intersections of culture, social expectations, and gender.

OBJECTIVES:
The objective of this study was to understand the postpartum experiences of South Asian immigrant first-time mothers in Ottawa, Ontario

METHODS:
Feminist poststructuralism guided this qualitative study to explore how historical, social, and institutional discourses shaped participants’ postpartum experiences. Data was collected through 60-minute semi-structured interviews conducted via telephone or Zoom©. Feminist Poststructuralist Discourse Analysis was used to explore power relations, identity, and discourse in participants’ experiences. Ethical approval was obtained from the Queen’s University Health Sciences and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board.

RESULTS:
Three themes were constructed from the data. This presentation will focus on the theme: Balancing South Asian Cultural Identity – “I don’t want her to feel left out.” The sub-themes were: 1) Raising the First-Generation: ‘I want him to know our culture’, 2) South Asian Cultural Practices: ‘Since we weren’t there, we couldn’t do that’, and 3) Breastfeeding and Socio-cultural Pressures: ‘I still get dreams about not feeding her’.

CONCLUSIONS:
The findings of this study highlight the importance of culturally safe, gender-inclusive postpartum care that responds to the needs of immigrant mothers.

KEY MESSAGE:
This research further illustrates the need for perinatal care that is relational, flexible, and grounded in cultural humility. Midwives can play an essential role in leading needed policy, structural, and clinical reforms to address the needs of immigrant mothers. Poster session 3 (Group B)