Chinese Mothers Research Articles

The Grandmothers’ Farewell to Childcare Provision under China’s Two-Child Policy: Evidence from Guangzhou Middle-Class Families

As China’s one-child policy is replaced by the two-child policy, young Chinese women and their spouses are increasingly concerned about who will take care of the ‘second child.’ Due to the absence of public childcare services and the rising cost of privatised care services in China, childcare provision mainly relies on families, such that working women’s choices of childbirth, childcare and employment are heavily constrained. To deal with structural barriers, young urban mothers mobilise grandmothers as joint caregivers. Based on interviews with Guangzhou middle-class families, this study examines the impact of childcare policy reform since 1978 on childbirth and childcare choices of women. It illustrates the longstanding contributions and struggles of women, particularly grandmothers, engaged in childcare. It also shows that intergenerational parenting involves a set of practices of intergenerational intimacy embedded in material conditions, practical acts of care, moral values and power dynamics. We argue that the liberation, to some extent, of young Chinese mothers from childcare is at the expense of considerable unpaid care work from grandmothers rather than being driven by increased public care services and improved gender equality in domestic labour. Given the significant stress and seriously constrained choices in later life that childcare imposes, grandmothers now become reluctant to help rear a second grandchild. This situation calls for changes in family policies to increase the supply of affordable and good-quality childcare services, enhance job security in the labour market, provide supportive services to grandmothers and, most importantly, prioritise the wellbeing of women and families over national goals.

Negative-Pressure Suction Cannula for Treatment of Lactational Residual Milk Cavity: A Case Series Study.

Background: Several Chinese mothers experience problems related to their breasts during breastfeeding and are referred to hospitals for treatment after a massage by a "cuirushi." Some of these patients develop large breast abscesses. Notably, the treatment of residual milk cavities is difficult after pus aspiration. Lactational residual milk cavities in the breast hinder effortless breastfeeding, but no solution has been reported thus far. This study aims to explore the use of a simple and minimally invasive method for treating lactational residual milk cavities and enabling mothers to breastfeed effortlessly. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 28 patients with lactational residual milk cavities treated using negative-pressure suction cannula and drainage at our department from December 2016 to May 2019. The success rate, safety, and feasibility of this technique are summarized. Results: Among the 28 patients, the first catheterization was successful in 7 (25%) patients, the second in 13 (46.4%) patients, and the third or subsequent catheterizations in 8 (28.6%) patients. The intubation time was <10 days in 3 patients, between 10 and 20 days in 12 patients, and >20 days in 13 patients. During and after treatment, 21 patients (75%) continued breastfeeding with the affected breast. Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided negative-pressure suction cannula is a new method to treat lactational residual milk cavities that may remain after initial therapy for lactational breast abscess. The treatment of lactational residual milk cavities offers significant advantages in supporting mothers during breastfeeding.

When Anxious Mothers Meet Social Media: Wechat, Motherhood and the Imaginary of the Good Life

In this article I have tried to unpack the anxiety of Chinese middle-class mothers through examining the dialectics of structural changes and discursive shifts. The theoretical premises are that, on the one hand, China’s highly compressed modernisation process has had a major impact on parenting arrangements and parenting ethos; on the other hand, the practice of mothering and the imaginary of motherhood have significant implications for social reproduction. Combining empirical materials collected through a social media platform, in-depth interviews and focus groups, I have teased out the classed imaginaries of good mothering and how these are subsequently linked to imaginaries of the good life.

Breastfeeding and emerging motherhood identity: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of first time Chinese Australian mothers’ breastfeeding experiences

BackgroundChinese Australian mothers are more likely than the general Australian mothers to introduce formula in the first month of age. A better understanding of the context of formula introduction in the early weeks of birth can provide a deeper insight into how Chinese Australian mothers can be supported to continue exclusive breastfeeding. MethodsAn interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used to examine the lived breastfeeding experiences of 11 first time Chinese mothers in Australia. The experiences of those who breastfed exclusively were compared to those who introduced formula in the first month after birth. FindingsAn overarching theme across all participants’ narratives was the meaning ascribed to breastfeeding in their emerging motherhood identity. Breastfeeding could be a pragmatic and a socially desirable method to nourish an infant but lacking personal identification to the mother. These mothers were more vulnerable to the early introduction of formula, especially when the support environment was lacking. Maternal identity conflict was common and negatively impacted exclusive breastfeeding and mothers’ mental health. In contrast, mothers who identified closely with breastfeeding showed greater persistence and enjoyment in breastfeeding and were more likely to continue breastfeeding exclusively. Health professionals were perceived to have an important influence in strengthening maternal breastfeeding motivation and self-efficacy. ConclusionBreastfeeding support to Chinese Australian mothers needs to consider how breastfeeding can be better integrated with their motherhood identity. Health professionals are well-positioned to facilitate this process through a better understanding of mothers’ cultural and social contexts around breastfeeding.

Neutral Human Milk Oligosaccharides Are Associated with Multiple Fixed and Modifiable Maternal and Infant Characteristics.

We aimed to identify if maternal and infant factors were associated with neutral human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) variability and examined the associations between HMOs concentration and infant growth and disease status in healthy Chinese mothers over a 6-month lactation period. We recruited mothers and their full-term infants as our subjects. At 1–5 days, 8–14 days, 4 weeks, and 6 months postpartum, all participants were interviewed to collect breast milk samples, obtain follow-up data and measure infant length and weight at their local hospital. A total of 23 neutral HMOs were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)- mass spectrometer (MS). Secretor and Lewis phenotype were determined by the concentration of 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) and Lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP)-II. The associations between maternal and infant factors with HMOs concentrations were investigated. A total of 464 human breast milk samples were collected from 116 mothers at four different time points. In total, 76.7% mothers were found to be Secretor and Lewis positive phenotype (Se+Le+), 17.2% were Se-Le+, 4.3% were Se+Le-, and 1.7% were Se-Le-. Several individual HMOs, including 2′-FL, Lactodifucotetraose (LDFT), LNFP-I were determined by Secretor phenotype. Most individual HMOs decreased at the later stage of lactation, except 3′-FL. We suggest that Secretor phenotype and lactation stage could influence most of the neutral HMOs. Concentrations of specific HMOs may be associated with maternal age, allergic history, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), parity, delivery mode, infant gestational age and gender.

Risk of Child Maltreatment in Chinese Teenage and Young Mothers With Rapid Repeat Pregnancy: The Moderating Role of Family Cohesion and Support From Friends.

Rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP) often occurs in teenage and young mothers. Mothers with a history of RRP are more likely to experience high stress increasing their risk of child maltreatment. Despite these challenges, some mothers can continue to cope adaptively. Social support may play a role in empowering these mothers to overcome the childbearing difficulties. Although the protective effects of social support are well recognized, there has been little evidence on the relative importance of sources of support. For example, whether support from family and friends is equally important in relieving parenting stress remains unanswered. RRP, a social phenomenon encompassing various adverse living and parenting issues, provides an ideal research context to investigate the role of family and friends in preventing child maltreatment. This study examined whether family cohesion and friends' support moderated the association between RRP and child maltreatment in young mothers. We recruited 392 Chinese teenage and young mothers from a population-based integrated young mothers supporting program in Hong Kong. Questionnaires on pregnancy history, family cohesion, social support, and risk of child maltreatment were administered. Moderation analysis was conducted to examine the effect of RRP on child maltreatment as a function of family cohesion or friend support. Results showed that RRP was associated with a higher risk of child neglect (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.72, p < .05) and physical maltreatment (aOR = 1.91, p < .01), and that family cohesion was more important than friend support in mitigating the risk of child maltreatment for mothers with a history of RRP. Our findings suggest that interventions for young mothers, particularly those with a history of RRP, should be family-based so the whole family can be empowered to tackle the childrearing burden.

Chinese Mothers' Cultural Models of Children's Shyness: Ethnotheories and Socialization Strategies in the Context of Social Change.

Research by Xinyin Chen and others has documented that in past decades, shyness in Chinese children was associated with leadership, peer-acceptance, and academic achievement. In contemporary China, shyness predicts maladaptive youth outcomes. Although social, political, and economic transitions are presumed to be responsible for this shift, little is known about how societal change mediates parents' beliefs and the socialization of shy children. This qualitative study explored implicit parenting cognitions and attitudes about shyness in a Chinese urban middle-class group of mothers (N = 20). Thematic analyses revealed mothers' beliefs about the role of family socialization in the development/maintenance of shyness and the complexities between shyness and introversion. Mothers spoke of increased use of child-centered parenting practices and the promotion of assertive and self-assured traits. These findings highlight how Chinese parenting has contributed to the decline in the adaptive value of shyness, and inform the development of parenting interventions for shy Chinese children.

The relationship between birthing related factors and maternal breastfeeding confidence in China

ProblemThe relationship between birthing related factors and breastfeeding confidence remain unknown among Chinese mothers. BackgroundBreastfeeding confidence in the early postpartum period is an important predictor of breastfeeding duration. There are many postpartum and socio-demographic factors that have been linked to breastfeeding confidence. However, the relationship between birthing related factors and this confidence remain unknown. AimTo explore the relationship between birthing related factors and breastfeeding confidence among Chinese mothers. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study of 450 mothers who were recruited after birth and before discharge from hospital. From November 2018 to March 2019, we collected data related to socio-demographics and obstetric characteristics, as well as the Chinese version of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale and the Chinese version of Labor Agentry Scale. Associations of birthing related factors with breastfeeding self-efficacy were investigated. ResultsThere was a significant correlation between perception of control during labor and breastfeeding confidence. Multiple linear regression showed that higher perception of control in labor scores were significantly associated with higher breastfeeding self-efficacy scores (B=0.282, P=<0.001), and lower breastfeeding self-efficacy scores were associated with women living in an extended family (B=−12.622, P=<0.001), perceived of insufficient milk supply (B=−5.514, P=0.038), mild fatigue (B=−8.021, P=0.03), moderate fatigue (B=−12.955, P=0.004). ConclusionThere is a significant relationship between perception of control during labor and maternal breastfeeding confidence in the early postpartum period. Strengthening perception of control during labor can improve breastfeeding self-efficacy. Providing professional and emotional support for women during the intrapartum period should be strengthened.

Maternal reactions to children's negative emotions: Relations to children's socio-emotional development among European American and Chinese immigrant children.

This study examined the relations between maternal reactions to children's negative emotions and children's socio-emotional outcomes, including psychological adjustment, emotion knowledge, and coping strategies. European American and Chinese immigrant mothers reported on their reactions to children's (N = 117, M = 7.14 years) negative emotions and on children's psychological adjustment. One year later, children were interviewed for emotion knowledge and mothers reported on children's use of coping strategies. Mothers from the two cultural groups reported the same level of supportive reactions to their children's negative emotions, whereas Chinese immigrant mothers more often adopted what are commonly considered to be non-supportive strategies than did European American mothers. Whereas supportive maternal reactions were associated with better child outcomes in both cultures, maternal non-supportive reactions were negatively associated with children's functioning for European American children but not for Chinese immigrant children. The findings shed critical light on the functional meaning of parenting practices in specific cultural contexts in shaping developmental outcomes.

The number and gender of children synergistically impact on a mother’s practice of human papillomavirus testing and attitudes towards vaccination in Shenzhen, China

It has been reported that the number of children a mother has may impact on her concept of health and behavior, and there is a need to understand the role of children in the acceptability of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing and vaccination among Chinese mothers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and June 2015 in Shenzhen, China, in which representative females were recruited from healthcare institutions through the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network. A total of 9058 females were included. Women with one child had a greater awareness of HPV (49.9 % versus 34.0 %, p < 0.001) and its vaccine (26.0 % versus 15.0 %, p <0.001), and were more likely to receive HPV testing (38.1 % versus 25.8 %, p <0.001) and vaccination (65.7 % versus 60.6 %, p <0.001) than those with two or more children. Mothers having one child who was a daughter were more likely to receive HPV testing (OR 1.53, 95 %CI 1.25–1.89) and HPV vaccination (OR 1.63, 95 %CI 1.38–1.93) than those having two or more children but without a daughter (p for interaction 0.014 and <0.001, respectively). Our findings provide a novel insight into cervical cancer prevention: a smaller number of children helps to improve a mother’s awareness of HPV and its vaccine, to promote their practice for HPV testing, and to promote the acceptability of HPV vaccination. Having one or more daughters synergistically interacts with having fewer children in facilitating a mother’s positive involvement in action against HPV infection.

Breastfeeding practices 2008\u20132009 among Chinese mothers living in Ireland: a mixed methods study

BackgroundMigration to another country has a potential influence on breastfeeding practices. A significant difference in breastfeeding rates between Irish nationals and non-nationals has been reported. This study was conducted to explore breastfeeding practices of the Chinese in Ireland, one of the largest Irish ethnic groups, and to explore the influence of living in Ireland on breastfeeding practices. This is the first and the only migration study so far on breastfeeding practices among the Chinese in Ireland.MethodsA sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was adopted. The first phase was a cross-sectional self-administered retrospective mailed survey, to explore breastfeeding practices and determinants of breastfeeding among a convenience sample of Chinese mothers living in Ireland (n = 322). Recruitment was conducted in the Dublin metropolitan area, with the application of the snowball technique to increase sample size. The second phase consisted of seven semi-structured focus groups (n = 33) conducted in Dublin, to explore the influence of living in Ireland on breastfeeding among Chinese mothers who had given birth in Ireland. Quantitative data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and informed the qualitative data collection. Qualitative data were analyzed by thematic content analyses, to explain and enrich the qualitative results.ResultsThe breastfeeding initiation rate among Chinese immigrants to Ireland who gave birth in Ireland (CMI) (75.6%) was high and close to that of Chinese immigrant mothers who gave birth in China (CMC) (87.2%). However, giving birth in Ireland was independently associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding (< 4 months) among Chinese immigrants. Qualitative results explained that a shorter breastfeeding duration among CMI than that of CMC was mainly due to cultural conflicts, a lack of family support, language barriers, immigrants’ low socioeconomic status, and mothers’ preference for infant formula on the Irish market. Both quantitative and qualitative data revealed a strong cultural belief in the efficacy of the traditional Chinese postpartum diet for breast milk production for both CMC and CMI. Antenatal feeding intention was a strong determinant for breastfeeding initiation and duration among CMI.ConclusionMigration to Ireland was found to be associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding of the Chinese. Culturally sensitive and language-specific education and support of breastfeeding is needed for the Chinese mothers living in Ireland. The mixed methods design presented here might serve as a template for future migration research on breastfeeding.

Lactational changes of fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants in human milk from healthy Chinese mothers.

Human milk fat is specially tailored to supply the developing infant with adequate and balanced nutrients. The present study aimed to quantify the composition of fatty acids, tocopherols and carotenoids in human milk, with special emphasis on the lactational changes. Colostrum, transitional and mature milk samples were collected longitudinally from the same forty-two healthy, well-nourished Chinese mothers. Fatty acids were quantified by GC with carotenoids (carotenes and xanthophylls) and tocopherols (α-, γ-tocopherol) determined by HPLC. Total fatty acid (TFA) content increased from 15·09 g/l in colostrum to 32·57 g/l in mature milk with the percentages of DHA and arachidonic acid (ARA) decreased. The ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFA and ARA:DHA remained constant during lactation at about 11:1 and 1·3:1, respectively. Both α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol decreased over lactation with the ratio of α-:γ-tocopherol declined significantly from 7·21:1 to 4·21:1 (P < 0·001). Carotenoids all dropped from colostrum to mature milk as the less polar carotenes dropped by 88·67 %, while xanthophylls only dropped by 35·92 %. Lutein was predominated in both transitional and mature milk carotenoids (51·64-52·49 %), while colostrum carotenoids were mainly composed of lycopene (32·83 %) and β-carotene (30·78 %). The concentrations of tocopherols and xanthophylls but not carotenes were positively associated with TFA content in milk. These results suggested that colostrum and mature milk contained divergent lipid profiles and selective transfer mechanisms related to polarity might be involved. The present outcomes provide new insights for future breast-feeding studies, which also add in scientific evidences for the design of both initial and follow-on infant formulas.

Maternal urinary bisphenol A concentration and thyroid hormone levels of Chinese mothers and newborns by maternal body mass index.

Animal studies indicated that bisphenol A (BPA) exposure during pregnancy may disrupt thyroid function which is critical for fetal development. However, few epidemiological studies have examined this topic and the results were inconsistent. We aimed to evaluate whether prenatal BPA exposure is associated with thyroid hormone levels in Chinese mothers and newborns with stratification by maternal body mass index (BMI). BPA concentration were measured in urine samples collected from 555 women at late pregnancy. Maternal serum free thyroxin (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) concentrations at the third trimester were abstracted from medical records. Cord serum-free triiodothyronine (FT3), FT4, TSH, and TPO-Ab levels were measured in 398 newborns. Prenatal urinary BPA was detected in 98.5% of mothers with a geometric mean of 1.32ng/mL (95% CI 1.17-1.49ng/mL). With each 10-fold increase in BPA concentrations, maternal log10_(TSH) mIU/L was 0.10 lowered (95% CI - 0.20, - 0.005, p < 0.05) among pre-pregnancy BMI>23kg/m2, with adjustment for maternal age, maternal education, gestation diabetes mellitus (GDM), husband smoking during pregnancy, parity, and gestational age at thyroid parameters measured, but no association was observed in pre-pregnancy BMI < 18.5, or 18.5-22.9kg/m2 stratum. No BPA-associated changes were observed in maternal FT4 level or odds of positive TPO-Ab in all BMI stratum. Also, no associations were observed between prenatal urinary BPA concentration and cord serum FT4, FT3, TSH levels, and odds of positive TPO-Ab in both male and female newborns among pre-pregnancy BMI < 18.5, 18.5-22.9 or>23kg/m2 stratum. In this study, prenatal urinary BPA concentration was associated with lower maternal TSH among women with overweight, but not associated with other maternal thyroid parameters or cord serum thyroid parameters across maternal BMI categories. More research on pregnant women and newborns cohort with BPA exposure are warranted.

A Division of Labor Perspective on Mothers Who Accompany Their Children’s Study—A Case Study of Student Guardianship among M Town’s Working Families

In modern society, female parents from different strata are involved in the process of constructing their motherhood through education. But mothers of different social classes have different ways of acting. Amid increasingly fierce educational competition, the mothers of ordinary working families move into the school neighborhood to look after their children as the college entrance examination (gaokao) approaches, and construct their “student guardian motherhood” status through their task of accompanying their children’s study. This paper takes as its subject mothers as student guardians in M Town, a typical gaokao community, providing a structural analysis of the features of such mothers’ educational labor and production relations from the perspective of gender and class. Seen in the light of the family’s gendered division of labor, the educational work of student guardian mothers is a new form of housework. In terms of the content of its division of labor, the student guardian work of mothers dedicated to their children’s well-being counts as “low-end” work, an overflow from links in the division of labor in school education. On the one hand, due to their lack of cultural capital, the relationship between parents and schools is one of “accompanying” and “submission.” On the other, these parents consciously keep their distance from “quality education” and form an organic compound with the schools’ efficient exam-centered education. The traditional Chinese idea of “hoping one’s sons become dragons” [achieve greatness] and the modern “child-centered” concept of nurturing jointly shape the image of student guardian mothers who work as service-oriented mothers in tandem with school education. The function of student guardians is not only the educational labor of “looking after the children” enjoined on middle- and lower-class female parents by the current division of education and social labor, but also an active and rational action strategy adopted by working class Chinese mothers striving for their children’s academic success.

Chinese mothers&apos; experiences and feelings in a different culture through their first 4 months after childbirth

Chinese mothers&apos; experiences and feelings in a different culture through their first 4 months after childbirth

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Reviewed by: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park Elizabeth Bush Park, Linda Sue Prairie Lotus. Clarion, 2020 [272p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-328-78150-5 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-358-33083-7 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-6 It’s 1880, and ever since her Chinese mother died two years ago, Hanna Edmunds and her white father have moved increasingly eastward from Los Angeles, hounded along by anti-Chinese bigotry. Papa believes they will finally take root in LaForge, Dakota Territory, an up-and-coming railroad town supervised by a fair-minded justice of the peace. They do successfully find lodging while Papa’s dry goods store is under construction, but Hanna’s longed-for tenure at the one-room schoolhouse is a mixed success: most other students are withdrawn from attendance when she arrives, and the teacher quietly brokers a compromise solution by helping fourteen-year-old Hanna graduate early. Hanna’s next challenge is to become the dressmaker her mother trained her to be, overcoming local prejudices, her father’s tight protection, and also some of his deeply private misgivings that she never suspected. Park writes in her author’s note that Hanna’s story is “an attempt at a painful reconciliation” between the Laura Ingalls Wilder books she loved as a child (LaForge is based on Wilder’s De Smet, South Dakota) and her awareness, even sensed as a child, of the systemic racism that rears up throughout the Little House series (much as Louise Erdrich’s The Birchbark House, BCCB 7/99, is a Native response to Wilder’s work). In this accessible exploration of a biracial teen’s prairie year, Park invites fellow Wilder fans to consider the struggle for respect and independence roiling beneath the iconic sunbonnet. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Maternal Attribution and Chinese Immigrant Children’s Social Skills: The Mediating Role of Authoritative Parenting Practices

SYNOPSIS Objective . This study explores the contributions of Chinese immigrant mothers’ parenting cognitions and parenting practices to their children’s social skills. Design . We used a cross-sectional design to examine the mediating role of authoritative parenting in associations between Chinese immigrant mothers’ parenting attributions and their children’s social skills. Chinese immigrant mothers (N = 208, M age = 37.36 years) reported their attributions regarding successes and failures in their daily caregiving experiences, authoritative parenting practices, and demographic information. Their preschool children’s (M age = 4.51 years, 46.2% females) social skills in school were rated by their teachers. Results . Maternal attributions of successful events to uncontrollable causes and unsuccessful events to controllable causes were associated with more authoritative parenting. In turn, more authoritative parenting was associated with more competent social skills in children. In contrast, maternal attributions of successful events to controllable causes and unsuccessful events to uncontrollable causes were associated with less authoritative parenting, which in turn was associated with poorer social skills in children. Conclusions . Promoting Chinese immigrant mothers’ attributions that preserve positive efficacy during daily parenting tasks may enhance their engagement in warm, autonomy-promoting and regulatory parenting, which in turn may facilitate their children’s social skills.

Coparenting, Parenting Stress, and Authoritative Parenting among Hong Kong Chinese Mothers and Fathers

SYNOPSIS Objective. This paper examines whether the effects of spousal coparenting on authoritative parenting are mediated through parenting stress. Design. A total of 166 married, heterosexual couples in Hong Kong with a preschool child provided information about their spouse’s level of cooperation and triangulation in their coparenting relationship at Time 1; their own parenting stress at Times 1 & 2; and their authoritative parenting at Times 1, 2, and 3. Results. Cooperation at Time 1 affected fathers’ authoritative parenting at Time 3 completely mediated through fathers’ parenting stress at Time 2. There were no mediated or direct effects on authoritative parenting for mothers, although triangulation at Time 1 predicted mothers’ parenting stress at Time 2. Conclusion. Parenting stress mediates the relation between coparenting and authoritative parenting for fathers, suggesting the need to encourage cooperation from mothers. In this way fathers’ stress related to their role as parent will decrease, helping to promote their authoritative parenting.

Pregnancy-Related Information Seeking and Sharing in the Social Media Era Among Expectant Mothers: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundSocial media has become the most popular communication tool used by Chinese citizens, including expectant mothers. An increasing number of women have adopted various forms of social media channels, such as interactive websites, instant messaging, and mobile apps, to solve problems and obtain answers to queries during pregnancy. Although the use of the internet by pregnant women has been studied extensively worldwide, limited research exists that explores the changing social media usage habits in China, where the 1 child policy ended in 2015.ObjectiveThis study aimed to (1) present the status quo of pregnancy-related information seeking and sharing via social media among Chinese expectant mothers, (2) reveal the impact of social media usage, and (3) shed light on pregnancy-related health services delivered via social media channels.MethodsA qualitative approach was employed to examine social media usage and its consequences on pregnant women. A total of 20 women who had conceived and were at various stages of pregnancy were interviewed from July 20 to August 10, 2017. Thematic analysis was conducted on the collected data to identify patterns in usage.ResultsOverall, 80% (16/20) of participants were aged in their 20s (mean 28.5 years [SD 4.3]). All had used social media for pregnancy-related purposes. For the seeking behavior, 18 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and the postpartum period; whereas for sharing behaviors, 10 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and caretaker. Lurking, small group sharing, bad news avoidance, and cross-checking were identified as the preferred patterns for using social media. Overall, 95% (19/20) of participants reported a positive mental impact from using social media during their pregnancy.ConclusionsIt is indisputable that social media has played an increasingly important role in supporting expectant mothers in China. The specific seeking and sharing patterns identified in this study indicate that the general quality of pregnancy-related information on social media, as well as Chinese culture toward pregnancy, is improving. The new themes that merge in pregnancy-related social media use represent a shift toward safe pregnancy and the promotion of a more enjoyable pregnancy. Future prenatal care should provide further information on services related to being comfortable during pregnancy and reducing the inequality of social media–based services caused by the digital divide.

Pitch properties of infant-directed speech specific to word-learning contexts: a cross-linguistic investigation of Mandarin Chinese and Dutch.

This study investigates the pitch properties of infant-directed speech (IDS) specific to word-learning contexts in which mothers introduce unfamiliar words to children. Using a semi-spontaneous story-book telling task, we examined (1) whether mothers made distinctions between unfamiliar and familiar words with pitch in IDS compared to adult-directed speech (ADS); (2) whether pitch properties change when mothers address children from 18 to 24 months; and (3) how Mandarin Chinese and Dutch IDS differ in their pitch properties in word-learning contexts. Results show that the mean pitch of Mandarin Chinese IDS was already ADS-like when children were 24 months, but Dutch IDS remained exaggerated in pitch at the same age. Crucially, Mandarin Chinese mothers used a higher pitch and a larger pitch range in IDS when introducing unfamiliar words, while Dutch mothers used a higher pitch specifically for familiar words. These findings contribute to the language-specificity of prosodic input in early lexical development.