Satisfaction with life during pregnancy and early motherhood in first-time mothers of advanced age: a population-based longitudinal study

<p>Motherhood is a life-changing event. It is a significant milestone for a woman. This thesis explores the concept of motherhood from the perspectives of Samoan first-time mothers living in New Zealand. The thesis traces their experiences from conception, pregnancy and childbirth through to early motherhood. Their narratives are the focus of the research and are complemented by the viewpoints from some of their own mothers, and maternity health professionals. The overarching question, ‘What are the experiences of a group of first-time New Zealand-born Samoan mothers before and after birth?’ was framed from a strengths-based approach and draws on work which defines a strength-based approach to resilience as research that changed traditional deficit perspectives. Rather than focusing on how individuals or families have failed or struggled, emphasis is directed to how they can succeed or how they can manage (Walsh, 2006). Interviews were conducted in Wellington and Auckland with 11 first-time Samoan mothers prior to childbirth and follow-up interviews with nine of these women within 12 months of the birth of their child. Five Samoan grandmothers, i.e. mothers of these first-time mothers, five midwives and five Plunket nurses were also interviewed. Four sites of analysis were examined – the embodied experience of conception and pregnancy; the process of labour and childbirth; the new norm of early motherhood, and interpersonal relationships and encounters. Analysis was conducted through the overarching lens of the Samoan concept of the vā (Wendt, 1999), the theoretical frameworks of ‘negotiated spaces’ (Mila-Schaaf and Hudson, 2009) and sophisticated mediation (Churchward, 2011). It was found that the first-time New Zealand-born Samoan mothers engaged in a complex and, at times, contradictory process of seeking support during their transition to motherhood. They demonstrated resilience and their skill as sophisticated mediators. The women depended on relationships, some biological and some not, that were reliable and sustainable and the interaction and care that the relationship offered. Intergenerational relationships were important to these first-time New Zealand-born Samoan mothers, particularly ones they had with their own mother, or someone close to them, as it was pivotal in the way in which they constructed their maternity experience.</p>

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Adolescent and adult first time mothers' health seeking practices during pregnancy and early motherhood in Wakiso district, central Uganda

Reproductive Health ◽

10.1186/1742-4755-5-13 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Lynn Atuyambe ◽

Florence Mirembe ◽

Nazarius M Tumwesigye ◽

Johansson Annika ◽

Edward K Kirumira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Seeking ◽

Early Motherhood ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

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Sophisticated Mediators: New Zealand-Born Samoan First-Time Mothers and Strategies for Their Health and Wellbeing

10.26686/wgtn.16984792.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Marianna Ellen Churchward

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Belief Systems ◽

Theoretical Perspective ◽

The Internet ◽

Support Structures ◽

Support Providers ◽

Early Motherhood ◽

Accessible Information ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

<p>This thesis explores the experiences of four New Zealand-born Samoan first time mothers during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood living in Wellington. The impetus for this research arose from findings that showed a considerable variation in the prevalence of postnatal depression between Samoan women (7.6%), Tongan women (30.9%) and others (20% for all New Zealand mothers). Qualitative, face-to-face individual interviews were conducted within a qualitative feminist framework. The two interviews with each woman were conducted during the last trimester of their pregnancy (28+weeks gestation); and 12 months post-birth. The thesis drew upon the four-element model – Epistemology, Theoretical Perspective, Methodology and Methods to provide a framework to conceptualise and clarify the foundation for this research project. Thus the thesis is best described as a feminist phenomenological social constructionist approach. The findings revealed the women of this study were „Sophisticated Mediators‟ who, although faced with many challenges throughout their pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood experiences, mediated successfully between, and within, existing cultural and belief systems i.e. Samoan traditional values and New Zealand cultural system; to acquire or maintain resilience toward depressive symptoms during early motherhood. Support structures such as family, in particular mothers, proved to be a vital source of support for the women. Recommendations arising from the research are targeted at support providers and family members and this is discussed in detail. Antenatal care was important although antenatal classes not so; conversely, the women were high adopters of technology in the form of the internet to access information. It is vital for support providers to recognise the high regard the women had for the internet as a source of valuable and easily accessible information, and utilise those avenues more to provide information that will complement or improve the existing support structures. During the antenatal period, women should be encouraged to develop or strengthen relationships with a significant female who will be with them throughout the childbirth and early motherhood process.</p>

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Psychotic Illness in First-Time Mothers with No Previous Psychiatric Hospitalizations: A Population-Based Study

PLoS Medicine ◽

10.1371/journal.pmed.1000013 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. e1000013 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Unnur Valdimarsdóttir ◽

Christina M Hultman ◽

Bernard Harlow ◽

Sven Cnattingius ◽

Pär Sparén

Keyword(s):

Population Based ◽

Psychotic Illness ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Psychiatric Hospitalizations ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

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Satisfaction with Life, Emotions, and Identity Processes in Polish First-Time Mothers and Fathers and Their Child’s Age

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18020799 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 799

Author(s):

Hanna Liberska ◽

Monika Deja

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Identity Formation ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Mothers And Fathers ◽

Identity Processes ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

The experiences of women regarding conception, the birth of the first child, and care of an infant in the perinatal period have long attracted the attention of researchers, but the knowledge about the experiences of men entering the role of fathers for the first time is still insufficient. The aim of the research was to identify the level of satisfaction with life, emotions and identity formation of first-time parents depending on the gender and age of the child. Seventy-five pairs of Polish first-time parents participated in the study. The research used the SUPIN scale (Polish adaptation of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Dimension of Identity Development Scale (DIDS), and a questionnaire prepared by the authors. On the basis of the conducted research, it can be concluded that there is a similarity of satisfaction with life, experienced emotions, and identity processes of first-time mothers and fathers, as well as the importance of the child’s age for the specificity of developmental changes in women and men. Understanding development changes which include identity, emotional functioning, and life satisfaction of first-time parents can provide bases for creating supporting programs in the case that problems in undertaking the role of a parent emerge.

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