Original research article Family planning intentions: a qualitative exploration of postpartum women of Mexican descent in North Carolina ☆,☆☆ Matthew L. Zerden a, ⁎ , Gretchen S. Stuart a , Sarah Verbiest a , Leslie deRosset b , Jennifer Tang a a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA b Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7400, USA Received 16 January 2013; revised 14 May 2013; accepted 15 May 2013 Abstract Background: North Carolina has one of the fastest growing Mexican–American populations, yet health care providers have minimal information on how to address the family planning needs of this population. Study Design: We conducted semistructured interviews with postpartum Mexican–American women, aged 18–35 years, within 1 month of delivery. Salient themes were identified, coded and analyzed. Results: Twenty women were interviewed. The majority had firmly held family size intentions: most desired to have 2 to 4 children with 2 to 5 years between births. Partners’ preferences and the family size in which the participant was raised were factors that most influenced their family size preference. First-generation Mexican–American participants were more likely to have a partner whose intentions are influenced by the gender(s) of their children compared with participants born in Mexico. Participants desired longer intrapartum intervals for optimal infant development, with financial considerations cited less frequently. Conclusion: Postpartum women of Mexican descent articulate consistent family planning intentions. Partners’ desires may challenge the achievement of these intentions. Providers can encourage the most effective forms of contraception to promote ideal and intended family size. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Postpartum contraception; Family planning; Qualitative analysis; Latino; Acculturation 1. Introduction Half of all pregnancies among Latinas in the United States (US) are unintended or unplanned [1–3], and almost two thirds of all Latinos in the US identify themselves as Mexican. The literature is inconsistent in summarizing this population’s use and satisfaction with the most effective forms of reversible contraception [4–8]. Data are particularly sparse in North Carolina (NC), which has one of the fastest- growing Latino populations in the nation with the majority of Mexican descent [9,10]. The contraceptive and family planning decisions of this population may be influenced by distinct cultural factors including acculturation (defined as an individual’s cultural modification that occurs by living in a different culture), number of male children, age at first pregnancy and marital status [11–14]. Conflicting studies report that, among Latinas, pregnancy at an early age or out of wedlock may be desired [15], while others [11] suggest that Latinas plan pregnancies based on practical considerations such as financial security. Social networks (i.e., family and friends) play a crucial, informative role influencing contraceptive knowledge [16–18], but it is unknown how acculturation and established medical resources interact with this knowledge. The limited influence of the established medical system on contraceptive knowledge in the Latina population may result from a lack of cultural sensitivity among health care Contraception 88 (2013) 624 – 628 ☆ Presentation information: Portions of these results were presented in abstract form at the North American Forum on Family Planning in Denver, CO, October 28, 2012. ☆☆ Disclosure of financial support: This research was made possible by a student grant from the Society of Family Planning (SFP). The investigators would like to thank SFP for their support. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of SFP. The authors report no conflicts of interests. ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: + 1 919 843 5633; fax: + 1 919 843 6691. E-mail address: mzerden@gmail.com (M.L. Zerden). 0010-7824/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2013.05.008