Beliefs and practices of culture care in colombian Wayúu pregnant women Creencias y prácticas de cuidado genérico en gestantes Wayúu colombianas

Resumen

Objective: Understand the beliefs and care practices of the expectant mothers of the Wayuu indigenous community in the rancherias Sapalou and Sutalu, La Guajira. Methodology: Qualitative study with an ethnographic focus, which was performed on eleven expectant mothers of the mentioned indigenous community. The information was obtained through participative observation and a semi-structured interview. For the analysis of the data, the analysis guide of four tenets by Leininger was used.   Results: The Wayuu expectant mothers described the practices of prenatal care inherited from their culture. During pregnancy, Wayuu mothers are not allowed to eat some foods such as shrimp, crab, rabbit or turtle, to prevent complications at birth and in the child to be born. They do not have contact with people that have committed murder, manipulated corpses or have assisted to funerals, since according to their beliefs this can cause bleeding at birth. The midwife becomes a significant member of the community during the pregnancy and labor process. Conclusions: It is imperative that nursing understands the cultural traits of the indigenous communities to bring holistic and quality nursing. Also, it is indispensable to continue with studies that explore the beliefs and practices of care during labor and postpartum of this populations.