The purposes of this study were to explore predictors of maternal confidence during toddlerhood among mothers of children born preterm and fullterm and to determine if mothers of toddlers born preterm were less confident in parenting than mothers of toddlers born fullterm. Mothers of children born preterm (n = 62) and fullterm (n = 70) aged 12 months through 36 months (postnatal age) completed a measure of maternal confidence during toddlerhood, the Toddler Care Questionnaire (TCQ), and a family background form. Major predictor variables included the extent of the mother's prior childcare experience, toddler birth order, and maternal report of toddler handicaps and major health problems. Data on neonatal condition were collected from hospital records. There was no difference in mean TCQ score between the preterm and fullterm groups. In the preterm group, prior childcare experience, birth order, and maternal report of the toddler having cerebral palsy explained 33% of the variance. In the fullterm group, prior childcare experience, maternal age and toddler's birthweight explained 38% of the variance. The findings are discussed in light of Bandura's theory of self-efficacy (1982).

A model has been designed to discharge patients early from the hospital by substituting a portion of hospital care with a comprehensive program of transitional home follow‐up by nurse specialists. The model, initially tested with very low birth weight infants, provides a framework for examining both the quality of care as reflected in patient outcomes and cost of care to specific patient groups. Its design documents nursing interventions and allows for comparisons of care by nurse specialists and other health care providers.

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Objective-To identify women's major physiologic, psychologic, and life-style concerns at 2 and 8 weeks after cesarean delivery. Design-Descriptive study with open-ended interviews.Setting-Large urban hospital affiliated with a major university.Participants-One hundred six women who had unplanned cesarean deliveries and delivered live, full-term neonates.The mean maternal age was 28.7 years.Main Outcome Measures-The major physiologic, psychologic, and life-style concerns.Results-Seven women reported no concerns at both data points. The number of physiologic concerns that the women expressed decreased markedly from 2 to 8 weeks postdelivery, but the number of psychologic and life-style concerns did not.Conclusions-These findings reinforce the need for prenatal teaching and postnatal follow-up regarding these concerns.