Abstract
Background: The birth of the first child represents a challenging event in the new-parents' life. Although literature highlighted that this period is experienced in a different way by the new mothers and new fathers, little is known about the broader evolutionary challenge that the transition to parenthood entails, also due to the difficulty of starting to think for three. Objective: The present study aims to explore the new-parents' autobiographical narratives after childbirth, to examine the meaning they construct of this event, and investigate the differences between the experience of new mothers and new fathers. Methods: Thirteen couples were recruited for the study. After childbirth, an individual open interview was conducted in order to collect information of the personal experience of becoming a parent. All interviews, audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, were analyzed by T-Lab software in order to explore similarities and differences between them, using thematic analysis to perform unsupervised clustering of narrations to highlight the emerging themes, and we evaluated the elementary contexts of the narratives. A subsequent in-depth analysis regarding the process of delivery was conducted through the LIWC Results: Similar but not overlapping themes emerged from narratives. Overall, parents have to face three crucial issues: giving a meaning to the childbirth experience, reorganizing family life, and managing the newborn. However, new-mothers and new-fathers live this period not only with different roles, but also referring to different contexts and seem to house two different spaces: one mental and one physical. Fathers more than mothers highlighted the social aspects of childbirth. Conclusion: Results highlight that childbirth represents an important turning point, which implies the transition from thinking for two to thinking for three. In this process, the two parents play, narratively, two different roles. Limitations, strengths, and implications are discussed.
Highlights
Transition to parenthood is a crucial moment in a person’s life [1 - 5]
Results highlight that childbirth represents an important turning point, which implies the transition from thinking for two to thinking for three
The Open Psychology Journal, 2021, Volume 14 drastically and the new parents have to cope with new demands and concerns, such as the constant care and attention required by the newborn, different management of disposable income, reduced availability of free time, physical tiredness, and reorganization of housework and lifestyle [11]
Summary
The Open Psychology Journal, 2021, Volume 14 drastically and the new parents have to cope with new demands and concerns, such as the constant care and attention required by the newborn, different management of disposable income, reduced availability of free time, physical tiredness, and reorganization of housework and lifestyle [11]. Taken together, these additional tasks reflect some of the reasons why almost all new parents live this moment with a set of overwhelming and ambivalent emotions, fluctuating between happiness and fear, and reporting a high level of stress [12 - 16]. Literature highlighted that this period is experienced in a different way by the new mothers and new fathers, little is known about the broader evolutionary challenge that the transition to parenthood entails, due to the difficulty of starting to think for three
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