Maternal support and cultural influences among Mexican immigrant mothers

The proportion of low-birth-weight infants born to women of Mexican descent is consistently low despite adverse social and economic conditions. This is particularly true among immigrant Mexican women, who have better birth outcomes than do women of Mexican descent born in the United States. This qualitative study explores pregnancy and childbearing among a sample of 41 Mexican immigrants in Chicago, including women with low-birth-weight babies and women with normal-birth-weight babies. In-depth interviews focused on social, economic, and cultural contexts of childbearing. Family support, especially support of a woman's mother, may help explain why women of Mexican descent have relatively few low-birth-weight infants compared with other groups. Implications for future research and policy development are suggested.