Fougang, Daina CharnelleWepa, DianneMpofu, Charles2026-02-162026-02-162026-02-12Midwifery, ISSN: 0266-6138 (Print), Elsevier BV, 155, 104725-104725. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2026.1047250266-6138http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20644Maternal health disparities persist globally, including among Sub-Saharan African immigrant women in high-income countries. Many come from contexts where pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period are embedded in communal traditions. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the birthplace of cultural safety, limited research has examined African women’s maternity experiences. This study forms part of a midwife-led qualitative exploration of the maternity journeys of women from Sub-Saharan Africa in New Zealand, using interpretive description informed by cultural safety and structural competency. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven women between July 2024 and January 2025. Data were analysed inductively using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Participants described a repertoire of cultural practices, including herbal and dietary remedies, postpartum rituals, and newborn care customs. Herbal medicine was used to ease labour and promote physiological birth, while cultural nutrition supported recovery and breastfeeding. The extended family played a vital role in postpartum recovery and breastfeeding support. Migration, however, disrupted this communal model, leaving women socially isolated in New Zealand. Participants reported loneliness, lack of family care, and, in some cases, a history of postpartum depression. Despite these challenges, women demonstrated resilience, adapting practices and advocating through transnational family ties and community networks. Participants' cultural practices strongly shape maternity expectations yet often conflict with New Zealand’s individualised model of care. Addressing these gaps requires culturally safe, structurally competent maternity models that integrate positive cultural traditions and reduce the risk of isolation. The next phase of this project describes women’s clinical maternity care experiences, highlights how structural barriers, misdiagnoses rooted in cultural assumptions, and limited recognition of traditional practices further compromise the delivery of woman-centred care.© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. You are not required to obtain permission to reuse this article.3215 Reproductive Medicine4204 Midwifery32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences42 Health SciencesNutritionMaternal HealthMental HealthSocial Determinants of HealthMaternal Morbidity and MortalityWomen's HealthClinical ResearchBreastfeeding, Lactation and Breast MilkClinical Trials and Supportive Activities8.1 Organisation and delivery of servicesReproductive health and childbirth3 Good Health and Well Being1110 Nursing1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine1117 Public Health and Health ServicesNursing3215 Reproductive medicine4204 Midwifery4205 NursingCommunal maternity careNatural birthCultural practiceImmigrantsWomen-centred careJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1016/j.midw.2026.104725