Background The postnatal period can be a challenging time for women, with mothers experiencing a range of emotions. As a woman transitions to motherhood, she adjusts to a new sense of self and forms a new relationship with her infant. Becoming a mother is a complex cognitive and social process that is unique for each woman and is influenced and shaped by culture. The emerging mother-infant relationship is a significant factor in maternal well-being and infant development, with the bond between the mother and her baby being critical to the development of secure attachment. It has been recognized that the strength of this relationship is the main predictor of how well a child will do throughout life. There has been a global focus on the importance of the first 1000 days, with Australia identifying this as a national priority. Midwives are ideally placed to support mothers during the development of the mother-infant relationship, providing care through the early postnatal period, which has been identified as a sensitive period for the development of the mother-infant relationship. Objective The aim of this study is to explore how midwives can support the emerging mother-infant relationship in the context of cultural diversity and develop an appropriate co-designed intervention in the early postnatal period. Methods This study will use a mixed method approach, specifically the exploratory sequential design (intervention development variant). This study will be undertaken in 3 phases: 1 qualitative phase, which is followed by 2 quantitative phases. Phase 1 will include a scoping review to explore interventions that have influenced the development of the mother-infant relationship, and then, interviews will be undertaken with women exploring their early experiences of motherhood, followed by 3 co-design workshops. The workshops will engage with multilevel stakeholder representatives where, through partnership and participation, they will propose and develop an intervention to support the emerging mother-infant relationship. Phase 2 will develop and pilot 2 purpose-designed evaluation surveys to evaluate the co-designed intervention from the perspective of both mothers and midwives. Phase 3 will implement and evaluate the co-designed intervention using pre- and postmeasures and feedback from the purpose-designed surveys. Results Phase 1 has commenced and is expected to be completed by August 2021. Phase 2 is expected to be completed by September 2021, with phase 3 commencing in October 2021. The study will be completed by March 2023. Conclusions The results of this study will be shared with a variety of audiences and will contribute to the body of knowledge on the mother-infant relationship, potentially improving the understanding of this relationship for women and midwives. This may result in improved strategies for care, with mothers benefiting from enhanced experience and satisfaction during the early postnatal period.
BACKGROUND The postnatal period can be a challenging time for women, with mothers experiencing a range of emotions. As a woman transitions to motherhood, she adjusts to a new sense of self and forms a new relationship with her infant. Becoming a mother is a complex cognitive and social process that is unique for each woman and is influenced and shaped by culture. The emerging mother-infant relationship is a significant factor in maternal wellbeing and infant development, with the bond between the mother and her baby being critical to the development of secure attachment. It has been recognised that the strength of this relationship is the main predictor of how well a child will do throughout life. Significantly, there has been a global focus on the importance of the first 1000 days, with Australia identifying this as a national priority. Midwives are ideally placed to support mothers during the development of the mother-infant relationship, providing care through the early postnatal period which has been identified as a ‘sensitive period’ for the development of the mother-infant relationship. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this project is to explore how midwives can support the emerging mother-infant relationship in the context of cultural diversity and develop an appropriate co-designed intervention in the early postnatal period. METHODS This study will utilise an exploratory sequential design (intervention development variant), mixed-methods approach. This will be undertaken in three phases: initially, a qualitative phase which is followed by two quantitative phases. Phase one will include a scoping review to explore interventions that have influenced the development of the mother-infant relationship, then interviews will be undertaken with women exploring their early experiences of motherhood, followed by three co-design workshops. The workshops will engage with multilevel stakeholder representatives where, through partnership and participation they will propose and develop an intervention to support the emerging mother-infant relationship. Phase two will develop and pilot two purpose-designed evaluation surveys to evaluate the co-designed intervention from the perspective of both mothers and midwives. Phase three will implement and evaluate the co-designed intervention using pre-and post-measures and feedback from the purpose-designed surveys. RESULTS Phase one has commenced with the expected completion in August 2021. Phase two is expected to be completed by September 2021, with phase three commencing in October 2021. The project will be completed by March 2023. CONCLUSIONS The results from the study will be shared with a variety of audiences and will contribute to the body of knowledge on the mother-infant relationship, potentially improving the understanding of this relationship for women and midwives. This may result in improved strategies for care, with mothers also benefiting from an enhanced experience and satisfaction during the early postnatal period.
Background The mother-infant relationship is complex and dynamic, informing the psychological development of the infant through bonding and attachment. Positive early interactions influence the quality of this relationship. Midwives are well placed to support the developing relationship between the mother and baby, yet there has been limited research exploring the role of the midwife in this context. Aim To explore interventions that have been provided by the midwife which support the development of the maternal-fetal or mother-infant relationship amongst a low-risk population from pregnancy, and up to six weeks postnatal. The review also sought to understand the types of interventions developed, format and delivery, outcomes measured and if cultural considerations had been incorporated. Methods A scoping review of the research literature was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute framework. Five online databases were searched for relevant articles published in English from 2000 to 2021. Findings Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Three themes emerged: (1) viewing the fetus as separate from the mother, (2) focused activities on the maternal-infant relationship and (3) targeted educational interventions. Discussion Providing focused activities and targeted education during the pre and postnatal periods support the development of the mother-infant relationship. Significantly, there was insufficient research that considered the influence of culture in supporting the mother-infant relationship. Conclusion Further research is required to develop interventions that include a diverse sample to ensure culturally appropriate activities can be integrated into care during pregnancy and/or the postnatal period provided by midwives.
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