Background: The aims of this qualitative research were to explore a range of challenges encountered by mothers coping with infant sleep difficulties, and subsequent impacts on the transition to becoming a parent. The intention was twofold – to raise awareness amongst practitioner psychologists that “many new mothers experience some level of emotional distress and all deserve systematic and compassionate support” (Boots Family Trust, p.1), with particular reference to early relationship formation, and to encourage opportunities for translation from multidisciplinary research into practice. Method: Five semi-structured interviews were conducted. Four with mothers who were either experiencing, or had in the past experienced sleep difficulties with their babies. The fifth was with a professional ante-natal educator, herself a mother. The interviews were transcribed and analysed according to a constructivist version of grounded theory methodology guided by Charmaz (2006). Analysis: A central narrative of ‘the wearing mask of transition’ was developed from four analytic categories: being me’, ‘being pushed to the limit’, ‘relationships’ and ‘coping, learning and trusting’. The interconnectedness of the categories was conveyed via the visual translation of the proposed pluralistic model – ‘the coping mask of transition’. Conclusion: After having been neglected within mainstream mental health services, perinatal mental wellbeing is currently being prioritised, representing a unique opportunity for multidisciplinary consultation and sharing of expertise and training. The ‘normal’ experiences of the women interviewed were revealed as emotionally complex. They worked through their sleep deprivation and distress feeling largely unsupported, and often unwilling to disclose even to partners the extent of their difficulties. It is hoped that this small-scale study, with its focus on a non-clinical population, and the significance of maternal mental and emotional wellbeing and outcomes for children, will encourage professionals to consider the distressing impacts of ‘normal’ sleep disturbance and deprivation within the broader context of this major life transition.

<p>The overall aim of this thesis was to expand the knowledge and understanding of the processes of breastfeeding and becoming a mother in mothers of preterm infants. </p><p>For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 mothers, whose very preterm infants had received care in seven neonatal units (NU) in Sweden, 1-12 months after discharge (I-II). In addition, prospective population-based register studies were performed of infants born 1993-2001; among 35 250 term and 2093 preterm infants (III), and a subpopulation of 225 very preterm infants (IV). Data were obtained from the Child Health Service registry of breastfeeding in Uppsala and Örebro, the Medical Birth Registry, and Statistics Sweden. </p><p>The experiences of mother-infant separation, institutional authority, emotional exhaustion and disregard of breastfeeding as a relational interplay, comprised major hindrances to mothers’ experiences of breastfeeding as reciprocal and of a secure mother-infant relation, during and after the discharge from an NU (I-II). All studied socioeconomic factors, i.e. lower educational level, receiving unemployment benefit or social welfare or having a low equivalent disposable income, were individually adversely associated with breastfeeding up to six months of infants’ postnatal age, but were not found more decisive for weaning in mothers of preterm infants compared to those of term infants (III). Preterm infants were breastfed for a shorter time than term infants (III), but a long breastfeeding duration was evident. In addition, gestational age and neonatal disorders were not associated with breastfeeding duration in very preterm infants (IV).</p><p>In conclusion, this thesis shows that improvements in the NU environment and the caring paradigm are called for. Furthermore, as socioeconomic status clearly has an impact on breastfeeding duration, increased equity in health care in accordance with the individuals’ needs must be sought, where resources are allocated to ensure fulfilment of needs in more vulnerable mothers and infants. </p>

The overall aim of this thesis was to expand the knowledge and understanding of the processes of breastfeeding and becoming a mother in mothers of preterm infants. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 mothers, whose very preterm infants had received care in seven neonatal units (NU) in Sweden, 1-12 months after discharge (I-II). In addition, prospective population-based register studies were performed of infants born 1993-2001; among 35 250 term and 2093 preterm infants (III), and a subpopulation of 225 very preterm infants (IV). Data were obtained from the Child Health Service registry of breastfeeding in Uppsala and Örebro, the Medical Birth Registry, and Statistics Sweden. The experiences of mother-infant separation, institutional authority, emotional exhaustion and disregard of breastfeeding as a relational interplay, comprised major hindrances to mothers’ experiences of breastfeeding as reciprocal and of a secure mother-infant relation, during and after the discharge from an NU (I-II). All studied socioeconomic factors, i.e. lower educational level, receiving unemployment benefit or social welfare or having a low equivalent disposable income, were individually adversely associated with breastfeeding up to six months of infants’ postnatal age, but were not found more decisive for weaning in mothers of preterm infants compared to those of term infants (III). Preterm infants were breastfed for a shorter time than term infants (III), but a long breastfeeding duration was evident. In addition, gestational age and neonatal disorders were not associated with breastfeeding duration in very preterm infants (IV). In conclusion, this thesis shows that improvements in the NU environment and the caring paradigm are called for. Furthermore, as socioeconomic status clearly has an impact on breastfeeding duration, increased equity in health care in accordance with the individuals’ needs must be sought, where resources are allocated to ensure fulfilment of needs in more vulnerable mothers and infants.

The mothering role of African American women has largely been ignored in the literature. Contemporary research on the construct of becoming a mother has focused on upper middle class, White women who are partnered. When African American women are included in research, they are often poor, single, teenage mothers and their experiences have not been described within the context of the African American worldview. Hermeneutic phenomenology from an afrocentric feminist perspective is the methodological approach used in this study to provide insight, analysis, and understanding of the experiences of three generations of African American women in the transition to motherhood. A purposeful sampling of eighteen women from three generations was used to identify information-rich cases that would provide an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. Generation one included seven women, between the ages of 65-83, who became mothers between 1950-1970, prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Generation two included five women, between the ages 51-58, who became mothers between 1971-1990, after the Civil Rights Movement, and there were six women in generation three, between the ages of 30-42, who became mothers between 1991-2003. All of the women in this study described themselves as middle-class; four women were single when they became pregnant with their first child, and education ranged from high school to master’s degree. Three constitutive patterns and their associated themes were identified. The first pattern, It Took Me a Minute, had three themes, Finding Out, Realizing What Mothers Do and Way Tricked! The second pattern, Preserving Our Home had four themes, Mothering Within the –isms: racism, classism and sexism, I Did the Best I Could, Mothers and Others, and Spiritual Mothers. Eat the Meat; Throw Away the Bone, the third pattern had two themes, The Ways in Which We Learn and Someone Who Looks like Me. The results of this study reveal some consistency with current descriptions of maternal identity and maternal role attainment and add to our understanding of the complexities that racism, classism and gender play in the lives of African American mothers and their families. The data from this study also suggests that future development of theoretical frameworks and analytical tools, used to assess the effects of stress and other psychosocial factors on health, need to be grounded in an historic understanding of the African American experience and of the African influence on family and cultural knowledge. Additionally, this study demonstrated the impact that the media, both professional and mass media outlets, has in defining and perpetuating our beliefs and feelings of the ‘good mother/bad mother’ dualism. The description of motherhood for this group of African American women illustrates that motherhood is a source of power and provides significant meaning, satisfaction and respect within the family and the larger community. It also highlighted the communal role that “othermothers” and spiritual mothers have in facilitating the transition to motherhood and providing strong social support.

No description available.

O presente estudo investigou o processo de tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, da gestação ao segundo ano de vida da criança. Especificamente, buscou-se compreender o impacto do “complexo fraterno” nesse processo. Participaram do estudo quatro mães, com idades entre 33 e 34 anos, contatadas no terceiro trimestre de gestação. Todas residiam com o marido, pai dos dois filhos, na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e o nível socioeconômico das famílias variou de médio a alto. A pesquisa teve um delineamento de estudo de casos coletivo, em que cada caso foi investigado longitudinalmente, em quatro períodos: na gestação, aos 6, aos 12 e aos 24 meses do segundo filho. Os dados foram obtidos através de entrevistas individuais, estruturadas, aplicadas de forma semi-dirigida. Os relatos das mães foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo qualitativa. As categorias que guiaram a análise foram: as impressões sobre o tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, expectativas e relação com o segundo filho, relação com a própria mãe e relação com o marido. Foram apresentadas as particularidades e semelhanças entre os casos. Os resultados foram discutidos a partir do referencial psicanalítico e de teorizações derivadas do campo da psicologia do desenvolvimento. Notaramse mudanças ao longo do processo de tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, que acompanharam o desenvolvimento tanto da criança quanto da própria mãe. Mesmo com o respaldo da experiência anterior, a ideia que o segundo seria mais fácil foi sendo revista, ao longo do desenvolvimento do segundo filho. A criação gradativa de espaço para mais uma criança constituiu-se num desafio que se deu paralelo ao desenvolvimento rumo à independência do segundo filho. As mães recorreram a muitas comparações entre os filhos, antes de poderem identificar e aceitar a singularidade de cada um. Em paralelo, a relação com a própria mãe passou por uma reorganização com a chegada do segundo filho. Houve aproximação entre ambas, que possibilitou uma reavaliação do modelo materno e da própria identidade das participantes como mães. A relação com o marido foi marcada pelo apoio, em especial, nos cuidados do primogênito, durante o período investigado. O “complexo fraterno” revelou-se como um importante conceito para se compreender processos evolutivos no tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho. / The present study investigated the process of becoming a mother of a second child, from pregnancy to the second child´s second year of life. More specifically, the study aimed to understand the impact of the “fraternal complex” in this process. Four mothers, aged 33 to 34, were contacted in the third trimester of pregnancy. They all lived with their husbands, who were the fathers of both children, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. The families’ socioeconomic level varied from medium to high. The research was based on a collective-case study design, in which each case was investigated longitudinally, in four periods: during pregnancy, at the child’s 6, 12 and 24 months of life. Data were obtained from individual, semistructured interviews and were submitted to qualitative content analysis. The categories which guided the analysis were: impressions on becoming a mother of a second child, expectations and relationship with the second child, relationship with their own mothers and relationship with the father. The cases’ similarities and particularities were presented. The results were discussed based on the psychoanalytic framework and theorizations derived from the developmental psychology field. Some changes could be identified alongside the process of becoming a mother of a second child, wich followed both the child’s and the mother’s development. Despite the previous experience, the idea that the second child would be easier was revised alongside the second child’s development. The gradual creation of a space for one more child was a challenge that followed the second child’s development towards independence. Mothers recurred to many comparisons between the children before they could identify and accept each one’s singularity. At the same time, mothers’ relationship with their own mothers also went through a reorganization with the arrival of the second child. The proximity between them increased and enabled a reassessment of the maternal role and of their own identity as mothers. The relationship with their husbands was characterized by support, especially as far as firstborn care during the period investigated is concerned. The “fraternal complex” revealed itself as an important concept for understanding developmental processes in the process of becoming a mother of a second child.

O presente estudo investigou o processo de tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, da gestação ao segundo ano de vida da criança. Especificamente, buscou-se compreender o impacto do “complexo fraterno” nesse processo. Participaram do estudo quatro mães, com idades entre 33 e 34 anos, contatadas no terceiro trimestre de gestação. Todas residiam com o marido, pai dos dois filhos, na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e o nível socioeconômico das famílias variou de médio a alto. A pesquisa teve um delineamento de estudo de casos coletivo, em que cada caso foi investigado longitudinalmente, em quatro períodos: na gestação, aos 6, aos 12 e aos 24 meses do segundo filho. Os dados foram obtidos através de entrevistas individuais, estruturadas, aplicadas de forma semi-dirigida. Os relatos das mães foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo qualitativa. As categorias que guiaram a análise foram: as impressões sobre o tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, expectativas e relação com o segundo filho, relação com a própria mãe e relação com o marido. Foram apresentadas as particularidades e semelhanças entre os casos. Os resultados foram discutidos a partir do referencial psicanalítico e de teorizações derivadas do campo da psicologia do desenvolvimento. Notaramse mudanças ao longo do processo de tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, que acompanharam o desenvolvimento tanto da criança quanto da própria mãe. Mesmo com o respaldo da experiência anterior, a ideia que o segundo seria mais fácil foi sendo revista, ao longo do desenvolvimento do segundo filho. A criação gradativa de espaço para mais uma criança constituiu-se num desafio que se deu paralelo ao desenvolvimento rumo à independência do segundo filho. As mães recorreram a muitas comparações entre os filhos, antes de poderem identificar e aceitar a singularidade de cada um. Em paralelo, a relação com a própria mãe passou por uma reorganização com a chegada do segundo filho. Houve aproximação entre ambas, que possibilitou uma reavaliação do modelo materno e da própria identidade das participantes como mães. A relação com o marido foi marcada pelo apoio, em especial, nos cuidados do primogênito, durante o período investigado. O “complexo fraterno” revelou-se como um importante conceito para se compreender processos evolutivos no tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho. / The present study investigated the process of becoming a mother of a second child, from pregnancy to the second child´s second year of life. More specifically, the study aimed to understand the impact of the “fraternal complex” in this process. Four mothers, aged 33 to 34, were contacted in the third trimester of pregnancy. They all lived with their husbands, who were the fathers of both children, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. The families’ socioeconomic level varied from medium to high. The research was based on a collective-case study design, in which each case was investigated longitudinally, in four periods: during pregnancy, at the child’s 6, 12 and 24 months of life. Data were obtained from individual, semistructured interviews and were submitted to qualitative content analysis. The categories which guided the analysis were: impressions on becoming a mother of a second child, expectations and relationship with the second child, relationship with their own mothers and relationship with the father. The cases’ similarities and particularities were presented. The results were discussed based on the psychoanalytic framework and theorizations derived from the developmental psychology field. Some changes could be identified alongside the process of becoming a mother of a second child, wich followed both the child’s and the mother’s development. Despite the previous experience, the idea that the second child would be easier was revised alongside the second child’s development. The gradual creation of a space for one more child was a challenge that followed the second child’s development towards independence. Mothers recurred to many comparisons between the children before they could identify and accept each one’s singularity. At the same time, mothers’ relationship with their own mothers also went through a reorganization with the arrival of the second child. The proximity between them increased and enabled a reassessment of the maternal role and of their own identity as mothers. The relationship with their husbands was characterized by support, especially as far as firstborn care during the period investigated is concerned. The “fraternal complex” revealed itself as an important concept for understanding developmental processes in the process of becoming a mother of a second child.

O presente estudo investigou o processo de tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, da gestação ao segundo ano de vida da criança. Especificamente, buscou-se compreender o impacto do “complexo fraterno” nesse processo. Participaram do estudo quatro mães, com idades entre 33 e 34 anos, contatadas no terceiro trimestre de gestação. Todas residiam com o marido, pai dos dois filhos, na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e o nível socioeconômico das famílias variou de médio a alto. A pesquisa teve um delineamento de estudo de casos coletivo, em que cada caso foi investigado longitudinalmente, em quatro períodos: na gestação, aos 6, aos 12 e aos 24 meses do segundo filho. Os dados foram obtidos através de entrevistas individuais, estruturadas, aplicadas de forma semi-dirigida. Os relatos das mães foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo qualitativa. As categorias que guiaram a análise foram: as impressões sobre o tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, expectativas e relação com o segundo filho, relação com a própria mãe e relação com o marido. Foram apresentadas as particularidades e semelhanças entre os casos. Os resultados foram discutidos a partir do referencial psicanalítico e de teorizações derivadas do campo da psicologia do desenvolvimento. Notaramse mudanças ao longo do processo de tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho, que acompanharam o desenvolvimento tanto da criança quanto da própria mãe. Mesmo com o respaldo da experiência anterior, a ideia que o segundo seria mais fácil foi sendo revista, ao longo do desenvolvimento do segundo filho. A criação gradativa de espaço para mais uma criança constituiu-se num desafio que se deu paralelo ao desenvolvimento rumo à independência do segundo filho. As mães recorreram a muitas comparações entre os filhos, antes de poderem identificar e aceitar a singularidade de cada um. Em paralelo, a relação com a própria mãe passou por uma reorganização com a chegada do segundo filho. Houve aproximação entre ambas, que possibilitou uma reavaliação do modelo materno e da própria identidade das participantes como mães. A relação com o marido foi marcada pelo apoio, em especial, nos cuidados do primogênito, durante o período investigado. O “complexo fraterno” revelou-se como um importante conceito para se compreender processos evolutivos no tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho. / The present study investigated the process of becoming a mother of a second child, from pregnancy to the second child´s second year of life. More specifically, the study aimed to understand the impact of the “fraternal complex” in this process. Four mothers, aged 33 to 34, were contacted in the third trimester of pregnancy. They all lived with their husbands, who were the fathers of both children, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. The families’ socioeconomic level varied from medium to high. The research was based on a collective-case study design, in which each case was investigated longitudinally, in four periods: during pregnancy, at the child’s 6, 12 and 24 months of life. Data were obtained from individual, semistructured interviews and were submitted to qualitative content analysis. The categories which guided the analysis were: impressions on becoming a mother of a second child, expectations and relationship with the second child, relationship with their own mothers and relationship with the father. The cases’ similarities and particularities were presented. The results were discussed based on the psychoanalytic framework and theorizations derived from the developmental psychology field. Some changes could be identified alongside the process of becoming a mother of a second child, wich followed both the child’s and the mother’s development. Despite the previous experience, the idea that the second child would be easier was revised alongside the second child’s development. The gradual creation of a space for one more child was a challenge that followed the second child’s development towards independence. Mothers recurred to many comparisons between the children before they could identify and accept each one’s singularity. At the same time, mothers’ relationship with their own mothers also went through a reorganization with the arrival of the second child. The proximity between them increased and enabled a reassessment of the maternal role and of their own identity as mothers. The relationship with their husbands was characterized by support, especially as far as firstborn care during the period investigated is concerned. The “fraternal complex” revealed itself as an important concept for understanding developmental processes in the process of becoming a mother of a second child.

Becoming a mother is most often described as something natural and the qualities to be a mother is presupposed to exist in every woman. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study with the research question as to whether the image of ‘the good mother’ can be found in women's stories of becoming mothers. The data was collected through one group interview and two individual interviews and analyzed with Charmaz constructivist grounded theory as a method. In the analysis we found four theoretical codes that together answer our research questions. The result shows that there is still an ideal type of ‘the good mother’ after which women build their own identity as a mother. / Att bli mamma beskrivs ofta som något naturligt och egenskaperna att vara en god moder förutsätts existera i varje kvinna. Studiens syfte var att undersöka huruvida bilden av “den goda modern” kunde ses i kvinnors berättelser av att bli mödrar. Data samlades in genom en gruppintervju och två individuella intervjuer och analyserades med Charmaz konstruktivistiska grundade teori som metod. I analysen hittades fyra teoretiska koder som tillsammans svarar på forskningsfrågorna. Resultatet visar att det fortfarande finns en idealtyp av "den goda modern", varefter kvinnor skapar sin egen identitet som mamma.