Background
Method
Design
Participants
Procedure
Analysis
Constructions of motherhood: | Health Care Worker Accounts | Mothers’ accounts |
The resilient mother: Coping with early life trauma and social stress | Absence of parenting “She is very upset and distressed in thinking about her own mother. She has always said that is never going to happen to him, referring to her own son”. Social stress “Many are finding the housing situation is very stressful for them and inadequate, really. One woman in the group, she’s got four children aged 8 down to one year, and she lives in a two-bedroom unit with one bathroom”. Resilience “Children are demanding and it’s pretty, a pretty tough gig being a mum and some of them are single, and wow that’s even more hard, so I think that the strength of some of these mums is pretty amazing stuff.” | Absence of parenting “I didn’t have the best childhood. And I felt towards my own child, after the way I was treated, what if I did the same to my own child? It was always in my head that it could have been better for me. I don’t want my son to have the same things happen to him. I was thinking about it all the time.” Social stress “Things were pretty hard for me, my partner wasn’t here when I had my baby, he was in gaol. My mother moved into my apartment to help me. Mentally it was too much to deal with.” Resilience “That’s not all there is to us. We want to give our kids a better life and that needs to be recognised. Sometimes I feel like people don’t want to let us move past where we’re from to something different”. |
The good mother: Transformation of self through motherhood | “I think our mums show a lot of pride in their children because they all look very clean, they dress them well, they dress them suitably for the weather, they show that pride and care. I don’t think that’s out of fear, I think that’s just they are loving and good mums”. | “I’m really happy to be a mum, I find it probably one of the best things I have ever had to do in my life. I think I’ve become a lot more mature and a lot more confident in myself” “[being a mum has] made me a better person because before then, I really had no one because I hadn’t talked to my mum and dad, and so it was just literally me. It made me a bit more happy and it’s a great feeling being a mother”. “I have purpose now” |
Perspectives on the intervention: | Health Care Worker Accounts | Mothers’ accounts |
“Mothers come to life”: Transformation through therapy | “She was very short with her daughter and quite grumpy, whenever the daughter wanted her attention. Now I see her imitating the other mums in the group or imitating our behaviour, being very, very hands on and listening to the children. She’s now more attentive to her daughter’s needs”. “A lot of them got stronger as we spend weeks together and months… you see moments where you go, wow, that’s a bit different from the beginning…it’s just learning and growing with each other and I think the mums just, this place makes them stronger about being a mum, and the role of the mother.” | “[the group] has given me a lot more confidence because like, when I was pregnant with (child), I did have people question me, why am I pregnant and a young mum. And I was just really upset about it and I guess that’s what the group’s given me, is that confidence to just be myself and be happy that I have (child)”. “[the group] motivates me to be a good mum and everything. I don’t think what I’m doing is any different to any other mum, and I feel like all mums have to learn, no matter what age they are, like we’re not taught how to be a mum, it just comes naturally” |
“I know I’m a good mum”: The need for connections, skills and time for self. | “It’s really powerful that their children will grow older and remember the times that they saw their mother sitting around creating art and even if it inspires one of them, that’s what we aim to do” “They care about each other. There’s a sense of camaraderie, they care about each other’s children and you know, notice the development of other people’s babies”. “I think being together, being together and a shared experience of mothering. I think that’s what groups do very well. I think it’s in a sense they’ve got a history together now of over a year, they’ve got a history with their kids and they do enjoy the milestones of each of the children, they enjoy all that with each other which is a lovely support I think.” | “When we’re doing our paintings, we talk to each other. That’s good sometimes, just to see where the other mums are at. I’m home alone with (my child) the rest of the week so it’s good to just talk about things with someone who is, you know, in the same boat. Who’s not gonna judge you if you’re having a hard time” “I like to paint, I haven’t painted for years, so it was nice to be able to relax and just go into another room where I can just paint. I don’t get time to do anything like that at home. When I come here I can just focus on that and be a bit free up, in my head, you know?” “When I get there, all I want to do is sit down, because it’s my only break to sit and talk to people. So, yeah, it’s a big socialising thing for me”. |
Results
Constructions of motherhood
The resilient mother: Coping with early life trauma and social stress
The day they took my baby away from the hospital. I don’t think you can ever get over that. How can someone do that?… take a baby from someone at the hospital, when you’re still recovering from birth.
That’s not all there is to us. We want to give our kids a better life and that needs to be recognised. Sometimes I feel like people don’t want to let us move past where we’re from to something different.
I mean it’s just – we are all going through the same thing, and know what it’s like to be stereotyped as a typical young black mum. Like, that we’re black, we’re obviously gonna fall pregnant really young.
The good mother: Transformation of self through motherhood
like now, and just the little things, like the money that I have, I don’t buy myself anything, when all I wanted to do was buy myself things. You know I get excited about little things like buying a highchair, you know, like it’s just, you become so much less selfish.
Perspectives on the Intervention
“Mothers come to life”: Transformation through therapy
They are great mums and all that and I hate to use the word, better, but maybe it’s stronger or something, some other word like empowering them, that just says that this individual is able to handle life and all the stuff that goes in people’s lives, a lot easier than before they came here.
The program has helped the women to just build more capacity as mothers, more maternal capacity. (To) be able to think about the kids and who they are as individuals is a really important aim.
One woman in particular who, when she first came to the group, the baby was only six weeks old and she was premature so the baby was just….unsupported across the mother’s lap, and the mother’s looking away. There was no eye contact, there was no proper firm holding of the baby, no support of the little head, and no emotional connection. You really could sense the deadness in the mum, and I actually was frightened for the baby…The baby wasn’t putting on weight, even though she was being fed, and we were very worried. Other health services were involved…DOCS were worried, you know, the postnatal support services were very worried. So she’s coming to the group and was seeing one of the psychotherapists here, as well. And gradually as, I guess as more trust built up between her and the therapist, she was able to tell her about how her own father had suicided when she was six months old, actually in a tree in the backyard of the family home… She told her about this, and as she was telling her, she put the baby to the breast and the baby fed for the whole session, and it was like a corner was turned like a connection was made, and the baby started to put on weight. And the two of them together started to come to life, and I’m absolutely convinced that that’s a combined effect of the support she had in the group and the input from the therapist as well. And I don’t think it’s an exaggeration, to say, because the baby could have died, you know, that really could have happened.
“I know I’m a good mum”: The need for connections, skills and time for self
Not really… you hear these stories about people who are taking drugs and whatnot. Yeah, I’m not going to do stuff like that. They’re just stories, nothing that mothers here are doing. So, I don’t think it’s going to change anyway.
When we’re doing our paintings, we talk to each other. That’s good sometimes, just to see where the other mums are at. I’m home alone with (my child) the rest of the week so it’s good to just talk about things with someone who is, you know, in the same boat. Who’s not gonna judge you if you’re having a hard time.
Going to the group made me feel like a better mum ’cause at first, finding out I was pregnant at a young age, I didn’t feel too good about myself but knowing there’s other young mums out there doing the same thing as me helped.
I think the women support each other amazingly. They’re warm to each other by and large. I don’t want to guild the lily but they care about each other. There’s a sense of camaraderie, they care about each other’s children and notice the development of other people’s babies.
Educating mothers about how to care for their children, how to teach your kids things, especially if the kids don’t go to childcare. Teaching health things, like about brushing teeth every day, how to feed your kids, changing people’s habits, showing them different ways to parent.
I feel like I get support from them, they’re encouraging me like I’m doing the right thing. I’m doing a good job by raising [child’s name] … just saying every week how much she’s growing, and saying that, we all, all us mothers are doing a good job raising our babies.
Having the support from [HCW] and [HCW] was really good as well, like they don’t think it’s a bad thing to be a young mum, so I thought it was good to have that support.