Studying the experiences of mentally ill Mäori women and the impact of pregnancy and childbirth on them has produced a groundbreaking Master’s thesis for Auckland social worker Wendy Semmons.

Hers is the first qualitative study to date examining the experiences of women whose identities and experiences embrace being Mäori alongside diagnosis of mental illness and being pregnant.

Impending motherhood often propelled women closer to their Mäori roots, she wrote. But when a woman’s Mäori identity overlapped with the dual pressures of dealing with pregnancy/childbirth/motherhood and being mentally unwell, she often felt shortchanged in terms of receiving appropriate care, according to her research.

“Lack of Mäori midwives, lack of understanding by non-Mäori midwives and non-Mäori mental health workers caused the women to ask “who is there for me?” Stereotyping Mäori, the stigma of mental illness, and the inconsistency of care raised the question “is it too much to care for me?” she wrote.

The Western model of health care dominant in New Zealand meant that a more holistic approach to maternity care favoured by Mäori, as well as a desire for traditional values (tikanga Mäori), was often overlooked.

She interviewed seven women for her thesis that examined, among other issues, the impact of diagnosing Mäori mental health patients with Western models and criteria.

Her study makes a number of recommendations on how health services can better meet the needs of these women, such as better coordination between maternity, mental health and Mäori community support services and increasing the number of Mäori midwives.

She concludes by saying that “a service that could provide ante-natal, birthing and post-natal care at one location for Mäori is not unrealistic”.

“It should be based on a kaupapa Mäori paradigm that combines Mäori beliefs and values with modern medical interventions and technology, as and when required.”

Ms Semmons worked full-time as a social worker at St Luke’s Community Mental Health Centre during the five years she studied part-time for her Master’s degree and raised her two teenaged sons.

She says having a supportive employer who offered her one paid study day a week for five years, as well as a Te Rau Puawai scholarship, enabled her to tackle a masters degree.