32: Supporting Asian American Moms

Dr. Juli Fraga Asian American Moms: Cultural Sensitivity in the perinatal period. In this episode, we discuss maternal mental health in the context of Asian cultures. There are many different cultures under the banner of Asian American, so we are giving an overview of some cultural considerations to keep in mind when supporting an Asian American mother. We will talk about some of the cultural challenges faced by pregnant and postpartum mothers, and how to better support their mental health. Some of the important topics we discuss: *Individualistic (western) vs. Collectivist (non-western) cultural perspectives on family, pregnancy and postpartum *Thinking about cultural components that providers can be sensitive about for the mother *Some of the “non-western” concepts of birthing and motherhood. Dr. Juli Fraga is a psychologist in San Francisco where she specializes in maternal mental health concerns. She also co-facilitates a postpartum support group, "The Afterglow" at UCSF, as well as a three-week pregnancy support circle, "The New Nest." Dr. Fraga is also a freelance health writer and she's written about women's health concerns for Refinery29, NPR, Quartz, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post and the Washington Post. Connect with Dr. Fraga here: Twitter @dr_fraga www.drjulifraga.com