Q10. Please explain why [ viewing the webcomics increased your awareness of the experiences of Afghan women around the childbearing time]	"the difficulties these women face are tragic, but I can imagine that this is just a tiny bit of what women face on their journey to Europe"	I didn't know how pregnant women deal with travel. The idea of sleeping pills is horrible and very saddening	I didn't realise how difficult it is to take care of and raise children and give birth in such conditions.	"I don't see them, I'm not aware of their existence. I wish there was much more than the comic around us. So that we can all help those in need and be aware of someone's trouble."	I've never thought about it.	I've learned about things I didn't know	Because it's difficult for them without a home or friends in a foreign land	It made me think about the subject	Because a parent is risking the lives of their children to escape from an unsafe country.	I haven't thought about that type of problem migrant women face	"Frankly, I've never thought about the experiences of other women, especially not refugees in camps and those who belong to a different culture and customs. Especially those who don't speak the language of the country they are in. I believe that pregnancy and birth are much more stressful for them than for women who give birth in their own homeland. For that reason, they need a lot more support during checkups, birth and after the baby is born. Organisation within our healthcare system is also necessary, as well as, of course, empathy and understanding for all, especially for people who are in such special situations."	A few pages are not enough to comprehend such a complex subject	"In 2017, after giving birth I shared a room with a woman from Afghanistan. Their babies don't wear disposable diapers, the woman didn't know how to put them on the baby and what they were for, she managed to explain that much to me, the nurses didn't even try to communicate with her, she was in terrible pain because the baby weighed 5 kg, I gave her painkiller suppositories, diapers, everything I had. She hugged me when I was leaving, I have a different view of the situation after that experience. I put myself in her shoes, I don't know whether I'd be able to handle it. I remember, when I gave her the suppositories, the nurses pushed her onto the bed and applied the suppository in front of the whole room because they couldn't explain to her how it was applied. There is a very big problem with communication because most of them don't speak English."	I haven't had the opportunity to hear about their experiences until now.	"I wasn't aware of the financial and language barriers, or the health problems after departure from hospital, as well as the problems they face."	"The comic is attention-grabbing and puts us in a real situation where we empathise with the actors, in this case Afghan women in a difficult position in life. The comic has largely helped to raise my awareness."	I was not at all familiar with how they went through that period	"Seeing as my sister works at an NGO dealing with refugee issues and problems, I was already pretty well-versed in the matter."	I haven't thought about it until now	I haven't had much insight into the experiences of Afghan women with pregnancy so far	I was already sufficiently familiar with that	I was not familiar with their problem nor did their position while pregnant occur to me.	I didn't think about their problems before reading the comics	I didn't think about it before but now it has drawn my attention and gotten me thinking.	"I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that these women go to the hospital for checkups and childbirth and that they receive adequate healthcare support. However, I think many women possibly do not go to healthcare institutions and give birth on their own."	"There already was some awareness of the problems of refugees but when a story gets a face, a first and last name, then it's no longer a problem someone somewhere is facing, rather it becomes a tangible thing and makes you think."	I wasn't aware how long the trip to Germany takes and how bad the conditions are in camps. 		"The fact that I'm a father of four means that I know what childbirth means even in ideal conditions, on the one hand, and on the other hand facing the possibility of a pregnant woman finding herself in a foreign environment, without a home, without help, without knowing the language..."		I didn't know women went through such events while running from dangerous situations	"I didn't know what they went through while pregnant, during birth, or that they didn't understand anything while they were hospitalised, due to the language barrier. The conditions in camps are equally bad for a new mother and for raising children."	"With all the problems happening at the moment, for example the war in Ukraine, I haven't even thought about this situation."	"I had no awareness previously, I believe I need more information"	"As familiar as you may be with the matter, such a vivid reminder really hits you"	The difficulties they face as refugees and a lack of understanding for their position.	No experience	I wasn't informed
"Q11. When you read the webcomic, what surprised you the most about Afghan women's experiences during pregnancy and around birth?"	the use of sleeping pills	That there is no organised assistance in the form of translation while a mum is in the hospital	"How lonely, scared and brave they are and how they deal with everyday problems in inhumane conditions on their own."	"That she wasn't given psychological or physical help. Did she get any money, packages for the baby?"	The experience is mostly positive for the situation she is in.	That they even have medical care	"The doctors seemed nice! Apart from a few exceptions, they are never nice"	"Lack of an interpreter and a lack of information, there are no fliers in the Afghan language which could help them understand the procedures and system"	The fact that she got pregnant during the journey.	"Lack of assistance in understanding procedures regarding labour, that no one accompanies them during labour "	"I felt that they were left to deal with things on their own, without the support of the system and institutions and that no one is even trying to explain to them how something works in the country they are in."	Nothing	"Nothing surprised me much, I'd somehow already known all about it"	The amount of insecurity and anxiety	"The language barrier, at least that's surmountable."	"The poverty saddened me the most. I suppose I should've been surprised by the medical staff's behavior, unfortunately I wasn't. "	The fact that no one examined the mother after birth or monitored her condition	A personal and collective lack of awareness of the fact that people fleeing war or a bad life should continue to live normally even while on that journey.	The fact that we didn't hire an interpreter to explain to her how labor goes in our country	How difficult everything is for them	The fact that she got pregnant in Greece	Women's readiness for migration in that condition.	The fact that no one offered them any explanation or help in their language at the maternity hospital and the fact that the woman was not examined after childbirth	The fact that she got pregnant during that period in the first place and that she is planning to give her child sleeping pills.	"These women going to the hospital for checkups and during labor, where they are given adequate medical care."	"Nothing surprised me, I could assume what the experiences were like"	The fact that Croatian border police are so cruel and force pregnant women to run like that. Monstrous.		I was surprised by her surprise at the fact that the baby and the mother are separated after delivery.		The fact that women wanted to put their baby to sleep in order to cross the border and that there was no interpreter for the woman when she was in the hospital to explain to her what was happening	The amount of stress they are under during that vulnerable period for every woman	How a pregnant woman (who is in a very risky and delicate condition) must suffer so much hardship and fight to create a great future for her children.	I was surprised by the fact that there is no interpreter involved in the entire process.	Fear... In the maternity hospital	Uncertainty and a lack of understanding	Little knowledge	I don't know
"Q12. When you read the webcomic, what surprised you the most about Afghan women's experiences during pregnancy and around birth?"	using smugglers to cross borders	Lack of privacy	Their treatment in maternity hospitals is the same as for Serbian women.	"I was and wasn't surprised by the fact that she didn't get help because our healthcare system is awful, along with most of the employees in it."	The fact that almost no one asks a mum how she's doing after giving birth.	The difficulties they face	The fact that she wants to move on from here	"Their fear, confusion and concern"	Nothing	Practice in maternity hospitals	The wish to be with their child and give it love and care.	"The absence of a humane approach in a bureaucratic process, lack of an abstract theme such as the state"	I assumed it was all like that	"Unfortunately, I was already aware of the difficult life of refugees in general"	The fact that the baby was not with the mother after birth	Precisely the behaviour of healthcare workers. There is less and less empathy.	Clothes and food for the baby that were not provided (not surprising in Serbia)	Lack of support from the system for refugees in the countries they pass through.	I don't know	Nothing	The difficulties she went through	Other women's readiness to help them.	The help they got from other women at the hospital did not surprise me	That she's taking care of her child	"I wasn't surprised by the fact that many women are pregnant and give birth along the way, i.e. during migration."	The absence of social welfare did not surprise me.	It didn't surprise me that pregnancy in such conditions and circumstances is much more difficult than in normal conditions		The fact that it will be difficult.		"Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised by the police officers' harsh demeanour"	I already assumed that the camps were not an ideal place for a new mother...	The fact that police officers and people did not show more understanding and offer more help and support	The fact that they are in a difficult position and scared did not surprise me	The help of the network	The border police's cruelty	Giving birth to healthy children	Nothing
"Q13. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing Afghan women who are pregnant, give birth or have a newborn during their stay in Serbia?"	the language barrier	Language and an unclear legal status	They don't have enough psychological support or good living conditions.	"I think the hardest thing is for them to remain psychologically and physically healthy, to feed their children and generally look after them. But I'm also worried about the abuse of women in camps"	The unsanitary conditions they live in.	Not knowing the language	That she's living in a camp in poor conditions	"All the cultural differences, a lack of adequate conditions for living and development for them and their babies and children"	"Medical care, examinations, equipment for babies"	"Getting clothes, diapers, access to clean water, warm and dry accommodation, safety in the accommodation"	Probably unfamiliarity with the system and lack of access to basic information. And the fact that they are without the support of their family and are staying in conditions which do not meet the needs of a family with a newborn.	"Health and social care, bare necessities"	"Language, prejudice, our protocols"	"That they can live safely and be able to feed their children and themselves, that they have health insurance"	That they are part of the health records and that it is communicated to them. That they are given packages with the necessary clothing and equipment for the baby.	"Poverty, the language barrier and a lack of health insurance."	"Their health and the health of their children, food, clothing, worrying about the future"	Not knowing the language. Being too scared to get the necessary answers regarding care for themselves and their child.	"The language, buying diapers, formula, conditions"	That they're alone and don't always have someone to count on	Getting the baby across the border is a challenge	"Migration as a risky physical activity, hiding, risk in general."	"Not knowing the language, health insurance, examinations, tests"	Money for child care.	"Their biggest challenge is how to cross the border with a newborn and get to Germany, their ""promised land."""	"The language barrier with the medical staff, living in refugee camps"	I suppose the language barrier is the biggest challenge. It would be a lot easier for them if they could communicate with the healthcare workers who are helping them.		"The period after childbirth when they are left on their own in conditions that are often bad. That is not something only Afghan women experience, Serbian women refugees from Croatia and Bosnia had a similar experience, as did probably every woman refugee from anywhere..."		"They have no one to rely on and they don't have enough supplies for the baby, they're expensive."	Accessibility of healthcare and the language barrier	"A lack of awareness and education of people in Serbia about how to take care of a woman who obviously needs help. There are many religious misunderstandings and generalizations in Serbia. From my point of view, the media have shown that we should educate people more on this subject."	"Lack of care, means"	"The language barrier, sanitary conditions"	To preserve their own and the health of their family	Innovation	Everything mentioned... Intimacy... Hygiene... Support
Q15. Please explain why [it is important for Serbian maternal health care providers to understand the experiences of Afghan women around the childbearing time]	it is very important because a patient is a patient regardless of their background and should be treated with the utmost respect and comfort	To be able to help more adequately	"That could lead to a change of attitude towards them, to make that attitude warmer, that they are given the necessary information and enabled to constantly be with their newborn baby."	Because they are people like us. Because they deserve to be taken care of and to be safe together with their children.	It's important to understand every pregnant woman and new mother and give them full support during that period.	So that they treat them more humanely	"Because it's twice as difficult for them as it is for Serbian women, they need more support which they don't have"	Because of empathy and the possibility of improving the life and rights of those women and their children	"Because we have too few medical doctors, we pray to God that there will be any left over in maternity hospitals... And to expect them to be overworked and on top of that extra educated... I wish that could happen"	"Aside from a lack of understanding for new mothers' feelings in general, these women carry additional trauma that requires additional understanding"	Because in that way a woman begins to trust the system and feels better and more secure.	"Giving birth is a stressful experience in itself, no matter if the mother is Afghan or not, she deserves to be treated like a human being"	"I would have seen that as any other training and education in life and self-improvement. Such are the times we live in, this will last, the profession the doctors chose obliges them to be humane and I really see that as an additional seminar they will attend to get better at what they do. No further discussion, that should be their obligation"	It's absolutely important because healthcare workers are involved in their care	"Serbian doctors often don't communicate with Serbian pregnant women, new mothers and women who have undergone gynaecological surgery of some sort either. Many of us have some kind of trauma because of that (among other things). We expect information but we don't get it. I cannot imagine what it's like for women who can't even expect information and what trauma they have because of that."	It's very important for healthcare workers to provide help and support.	So that they are more understanding and have a better approach to these women	"Every person is entitled to understanding for their condition, their rights and responsibilities, and so are these women. Communication and a sense of belonging regardless of different cultures, religions etc. should be nurtured."	" It's important for the possibility of raising that child, buying the necessities, medicines"	So that they could help their experience with pregnancy and childbirth go as well as possible	So that they know how to provide adequate assistance	So that they provide them with full medical care even after delivery	Because they can help and support them	"If a doctor doesn't understand, how can I expect other healthcare workers and people to understand and help"	"For doctors to give these women adequate healthcare support, they need to have awareness and understand the position of these women during pregnancy and childbirth in a foreign country."	"Every patient has a particular set of problems and needs, the situation gets more complex when the patients are from vulnerable groups who need additional help"	Because there is a possibility that a woman like that will come to them at some point.		"I think they do understand, precisely because a huge population of Serbs fled to Serbia just two decades ago. There are still refugees from an EU member country in Serbia today."		"They should be acquainted with the situation and know that because of fleeing they had not been getting regular checkups and that they should pay attention to that, they probably didn't take all the supplements they needed, maybe they weren't vaccinated."	"To help a patient, you must understand and empathise with them. How can you provide empathy and understanding, support, if you don't even know what the patient is going through?"	"If they don't understand this situation, they don't know her needs and how to treat her properly"	So that they have a better approach and provide adequate care	"For the sake of the patient herself, her fragility"	For the purpose of access to the pregnant woman/new mother	One should know everything	Culturally and humanely
Q17. Do you have any additional comments?		"Our healthcare system is not adapted to any foreign women, not just women in this situation who are particularly and additionally vulnerable"		Raising awareness of women refugees.		No	"No. Kudos to them for daring to have children as refugees, without a home and people they know"	No			"I think that medical doctors in Serbia generally (based on my own experience) do not pay enough attention to the mental health of pregnant women and new mothers, everything revolves around making sure the baby is well, while the parents (both the mother and the father) do not get enough attention and often even enough information from healthcare workers, rather they have to do the research themselves, to read, to look for relevant sources. There is also no support regarding breastfeeding and the advice given is often actually counterproductive because the staff are simply not educated about that. A big problem is the fact that new mothers have no choice or options during and after labour because others decide for them (in what position they will give birth, whether they will use medicines or some other pain relieving methods, whether they will be with their child and breastfeed it or if they will give it formula, how and when the umbilical cord will be cut, whether the baby will be given a bath immediately or if it will have skin-to-skin contact and first breastfeeding... All this should especially be taken into account when the pregnant woman comes from a different cultural environment and doesn't speak the language of the country she is currently in."		"Ugh, knowing medical doctors in Serbia, who even treat us without any respect, I will consider it luck if they get only an interpreter in the hospital."	Thank you for dealing with this subject!	Funds also need to be secured for mums and babies after birth.			No.			No		Someone should definitely talk to them and tell them to wait until the baby is a little older before crossing the border	No.		No			I hope that the lady from the comic and her family will get to Germany.		Both healthcare and social workers should help as much as they can.	"I'm very sorry about the current situation and I hope it will change soon. Every woman deserves to be treated humanely, both during pregnancy and after childbirth. Anything other than that is a defeat of the entire society and a disgrace for all of us. Thank you for educating me on this subject, I wasn't even aware of how unfamiliar I was with what these women go through."			We must always look at a patient in an interdisciplinary way... Especially displaced persons	No	No	No