A nurse-researcher used anthropological techniques to compare culturally specific methods used by Fijians and Indians living in Fiji during childbirth to control aid and to diminish the injury risk to both mother and infant. She also investigated how mothers react to pain. Fijian mothers preferred the extensive traditional caring patterns of the community and of relatives during pregnancy and childbirth to medical care. They learned from where infants come, pregnancy, labor, and delivery when still very young. Their natural view of childbirth, the social and kinship support systems, and community prenatal care readied them for delivery. Thus they could anticipate the pain of childbirth. On the other hand, modesty and the desire to hide pregnancy resulted in delayed prenatal care for Fiji-Indian women. They went to the hospital either at the first hint of labor or very late in labor and were panicky during delivery since no one had told them about the mechanics of labor and delivery and no support systems or traditional prenatal and intrapartum care existed. Thus they tended to cooperate with the nurse. Fiji-Indian women did not support systems in place after delivery, however. These cultural differences in response to childbirth have contributed to differences in maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. For example, despite universal health care in Fiji, infant mortality for Fijians in 1976 was 37 vs. 54 for Fiji-Indians. The early neonatal mortality rates were 15.2 and 32.8, respectively. Maternal mortality among Fiji Indians was 26% higher than that of Fijians. In addition, anemia was 89% higher among pregnant Fiji-Indians. Anemia caused 12% of maternal deaths and may have contributed to 37% more deaths attributed to hemorrhage and hypovolemic shock. Preeclampsia occurred n 7% of Fiji-Indians compared with only 2.4% in Fijians.