Experiences Of Young Mothers Research Articles

Experiences of young mothers with the uptake of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in the Lake endemic region, Kenya.

A substantial proportion of the world population is affected by malaria with 241 million malaria cases reported globally. Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) is an effective chemotherapy but its utilisation has not been optimised. Few studies focus on young mothers and their experiences regarding the optimal uptake of IPTp-SP. The study design was cross-sectional with data derived from six focus group discussions with mothers aged 15-24 years who had a pregnancy and gave birth to a live baby within the last two years in Kisumu and Migori counties, Kenya. Inductive analysis was used to identify themes and patterns. Young mothers were motivated to take IPTp-SP during pregnancy if they had prior knowledge about SP and its associated benefits and if they were knowledgeable about the consequences of malaria infection during pregnancy. Perceived side effects of SP, lack of awareness of SP as a malaria prevention therapy, lack of knowledge on the benefits of SP, dosage and frequency of uptake, poor communication by health providers towards young mothers, and inconsistent supply of SP at health facilities inhibited young mothers from attaining the recommended 3+ doses of IPTp-SP. There is a need for health literacy programmes that focus on increasing knowledge of IPTp-SP dosage, timing and benefits for both the young pregnant mother and her foetus. Community engagement through dialogue with mentor mothers and male partners will be an important complementary approach in establishing a support system for young women for positive health outcomes including attaining the recommended 3+ doses of IPTp-SP.

“Because I’m Young”: Experiences of Young Mothers with Child Welfare Involvement

“Because I’m Young”: Experiences of Young Mothers with Child Welfare Involvement

Beyond intensive motherhood: Performing online cross-border motherhood on social media

Mamatzhik (Funny Mom) was founded as a closed Israeli maternal community on Facebook, available only to women for dealing with conservative patriarchal social demands. It became the largest online community in Israel, whose main preoccupation is young motherhood. A thematic analysis of in-depth interviews and posts posted on their Facebook page was conducted. Seeking to understand and explain the content characteristics of posts as well as interpretations and experiences of young mothers, our findings show that Mamatzhik offers an alternative and subversive identity for modern mothers, shaping a new liberal feminist maternal identity – that is, online cross-border motherhood. It also provides an online space that allows temporal ventilation from social pressures using online daily carnival entertainment shows. Mamatzhik also uses subversive feminist humor to challenge the ideology of intensive motherhood, which requires mothers to devote their lives to the benefit of their children at their own expense.

‘There is no more future for me? Like really, are you kidding?’: agency and decision-making in early motherhood in an urban area in Johannesburg, South Africa

ABSTRACT Background: The South African development goals for young women aged 15 to 24 are to reduce HIV incidence, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence, and to increase school completion and economic security. Early, unintended pregnancy undermines these goals, creating discourses of early motherhood that position young women as powerless. There has been scant attention on the agency of young women in their structural context. Objective: This study explored how young women exercise agency after an unintended pregnancy and make decisions concerning their future, including sexual and reproductive health, school completion and/or income generation, and caregiving for their babies. Methods: I used narrative analysis to explore the lived experiences of young mothers, paying attention to decision-making during pregnancy and motherhood. Domains of analysis included health care, education, and caregiving. I conducted in-depth interviews with 30 young mothers: 30 were interviewed once, nine were interviewed twice, and six were interviewed three times. I interviewed four significant people in the lives of young mothers and six health care providers at a health centre. Results: Progressive policy facilitates increased access to services for young pregnant and parenting women. However, education and health care providers continue to discriminate against them, formally through denying them access to services and informally through discourses of shame which pervade their structural context. Kinship capital in urban and rural contexts and the Child Support Grant mitigate some struggles in early motherhood and help young mothers navigate decision-making. Conclusion: Young mothers exercise agency along a continuum to realise their aspirations. Social and structural support mediate their agency. Policy needs to expand the focus from prevention to include issues of care and support after an early, unintended pregnancy to ensure the health and wellbeing of young mothers and their children.

Unintended Teenage Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study to Explore Perspectives and Experiences of Young Mothers

Teenage sexual activity and unintended pregnancy is a growing societal problem, particularly in a culturally-sensitive region such as Asia. This paper explores the perspectives and experiences of young mothers with unintended teenage pregnancies. A qualitative study with a one-to-one approach was conducted with ten teenagers aged 16 to 19 years old with unintended pregnancy. The participants were selected via purposive sampling from a woman protection centre in west-coastal Peninsular Malaysia. Perspectives of unintended teenage pregnancy, factors influencing unintended teenage pregnancy, and approaches to overcome unintended teenage pregnancy were themes that emerged from the data. The study findings can be used to develop suitable models, training modules and educational programmes for the prevention of unintended pregnancy among teenagers.

Experiencias de jóvenes padres y madres: entretejidos de trayectorias y transiciones

Objetivo. Comprender las experiencias de madres y padres jóvenes a partir de sus trayectorias, transiciones y puntos de inflexión ocurridos entre la noticia de la gestación y el nacimiento del hijo. Metodología. Estudio con aproximación fenomenológica comprensiva, haciendo uso de herramientas analíticas del enfoque curso de vida; abordando cinco familias de padres y madres jóvenes a los cuales se les indagó sobre sus experiencias alrededor de la noticia de la gestación y el nacimiento de su hijo. Se utilizó entrevistas a profundidad, genogramas, cartografías y líneas de tiempo para analizar sus trayectorias vitales y transiciones alrededor de este proceso. Resultados. En los relatos de estos jóvenes se develan tres dimensiones principales que hemos denominado: trayectorias y contextos motivacionales; la existencia del hijo: el lugar de la experiencia y las transiciones en el cuerpo vivido del padre y madre joven. Conclusión. Los sujetos van hilando trayectorias en su curso de vida, en las cuales se entretejen los motivos y las intenciones de sus actos, pero así mismo emergen acontecimientos relevantes como la llegada de un hijo en la juventud, en contra de un orden social establecido y con capitales sociales, culturales y económicos disminuidos, pudiendo potenciar logros o causar rupturas en su forma de ser y estar con el Otro.

Creating policy guidelines with young mothers in further education

RationaleSupport for young mothers who are within the UK education system has been found to be inconsistent and ineffective (Evans & Slowley, 2010; Austerberry & Wiggins, 2007; Bullen et al., 2000) with examples of discrimination and the perpetuation of stereotypes identified by previous researchers (Dawson et al, 2005; Vincent & Thomson, 2010). Despite this, researchers have found that having a child can lead to increased ambition in relation to education and employment, and the negative effects of becoming a parent in adolescence may be mitigated by education (Higginbottom et al., 2006; Smith & Wayman, 2009; Sullivan et al., 2011). This suggested importance of education for young mothers has been met with variability in the amount and quality of support.AimThe current research aimed to create participatory policy guidance, using the experiences of young mothers in further education to illuminate best practice in relation to their successful inclusion. A combined approach using Q methodology and narrative analysis was used with five young women engaged in the UK further education system. Participants individually ranked a set of 41 support strategies, from most useful to least useful. Data from these interviews were analysed for consensus statements and using narrative methods.FindingsConsensus statements identified types of support the participants saw as being most useful, and a number of common themes were identified through conversations about their experiences, which placed emphasis on emotional and social support. This commonality was used as the basis for policy guidance, with supporting statements from the young mothers offered as direct evidence.LimitationsSample size was an issue in the current research, the local area seemed to present low numbers of young mothers accessing education. The guidelines are therefore intended for local recommendation, and wider local research would be beneficial.ConclusionThe current research has offered one way to approach participatory policy making with a group of young people vulnerable to exclusion. It hopes to offer stimulus to consider other groups of young people, and to look towards how we can make policy creation more person-centred.

The lived experience of AYA mothers with advanced breast cancer.

176 Background: Little is known about daily life experiences of young mothers with advanced breast cancer. Limited research suggests they face unique challenges differing from those of women at other life stages and with earlier stages of breast cancer. The larger study aimed to describe and interpret the lived experiences of young women with advanced breast cancer to contribute to our understanding of the needs of this population. Their role as mothers emerged as a significant theme. The goal of the overall study was to inform the development of person-centered interventions. Methods: Van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological method was employed in this longitudinal qualitative study. AYA women (25-39 years) with advanced breast cancer were purposively recruited via private Facebook groups specifically for women with breast cancer. Enrollment continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Data were collected through one or more semi-structured interviews over 6 months depending upon participant willingness, desire, or ability. Journals were provided to write additional thoughts. Data were drawn from interviews about daily life experiences. A major theme related to their identities as mothers emerged. Results: Twelve AYA women (mean age: 35.9) were included. All were married, had at least one child (10 months -14 years, median: 6.0 years), and most (n=7, 72.7%) worked full-time. Twelve participated in the first interview, 9 in a second interview, and 6 in a third interview. Three returned journals. The meaning of their experiences as mothers is captured by the theme: “ I’m Still Mom” and 7 subthemes: “ it’s so hard”, ” being a mom still”, “ what I can still do”, “there’s not enough time”, “being remembered”, “searching for resources”, and “ it’s not easy for my kids”. Conclusions: Being a mother is the first priority for these AYA women with advanced breast cancer, but they are hindered in their parenting activities by physical effects of their cancer and its treatment, uncertainty about their future, and worry for their children’s future. This study provides a base for further research on daily priorities for this population to inform future interventions to optimize quality of life consistent with their parenting priorities.

45 - Factors Influencing the Engagement of Adolescents in Antenatal Care Services: Learning from the Experiences of Young Mothers in Ghana and Tanzania

Purpose: The voices and specific needs of adolescents are currently underrepresented in the literature on antenatal and maternity care. The most recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend a shift towards a women-centred approach to antenatal care (ANC) and emphasize a “positive pregnancy experience”, however at present there is limited evidence on how current ANC delivery models address the needs and experiences of adolescents. This study helps to fill this research gap by exploring the experiences and perceptions of primiparous adolescent women who have accessed antenatal care services. Specifically, we aimed to understand the major motivators and facilitators of antenatal care utilization among this age group to inform recommendations designed to enhance adolescent-friendly health services and to promote improved health-seeking behaviours among adolescents.

Teen mothers who are daughters of teen mothers: Psychological intergenerational dimensions of early motherhood

IntroductionResearchers have shown that being a daughter of a teenage mother is a risk factor regarding the possibility of having early, unprotected sexual intercourse and of falling pregnant. The experiences of young mothers in such situations and the aspects of intergenerational transmission in the mother–daughter relationship have not been well investigated. ObjectivesThis study analyses the experience of motherhood in young mothers (18–20years at the time of the interview/15–16 at the time of their pregnancy) who are daughters of teen mothers themselves from the psychodynamic perspective of intergenerational transmission. MethodsSix young mothers from Southern Italy were selected and interviewed. A semi-structured interview was used to explore the early experience of pregnancy and motherhood and their relationship with their own mothers. The interviews were analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). ResultsFive superordinate themes emerged: I didn't want, I didn't see and I didn't feel; Adolescence? I suddenly became a mother; History repeats itself again and again; Confused Spaces and How difficult is coming into the world? ConclusionAdolescent mothers, who themselves are daughters of teen mothers, seem to have difficulty in representing the meanings associated with their experience of pregnancy and motherhood. A lack of narrative transmission of the experience of pregnancy from mothers to daughters emerged. The implications for research and social policies will be discussed.

Introduction: Young Fatherhood: Lived experiences and policy challenges.

The entry of young people into early parenthood has long been regarded as an issue for social policy and for professional practice in the UK and internationally. Despite a steadily falling trend, most notably since 1998, the UK still has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe, concentrated in the most socially disadvantaged areas of the country (Office for National Statistics, 2015). The majority of these pregnancies are unplanned, with about half resulting in the birth of a child, although the extent to which this should be a cause for concern is a contested issue (Duncan et al., 2010). Considerable research evidence exists on the experiences of young mothers, with a range of interventions designed to meet their needs. However, young fathers (defined as those under the age of 25, a quarter of whom are estimated to be in their teens) have, until recently, been neglected in both research and policy. Over the past decade, small pockets of research evidence on the circumstances, practices and values of young fathers have begun to coalesce into a fledgling evidence base. However, the notion of 'feckless' young men, who are assumed to be absent, or disinterested in 'being there', or, worse, regarded as a potential risk to their children, continues to hold sway, particularly in popular media and some political discourses (Neale and Davies, 2015).

Experiences of Young Motherhood and Youth in Mexico: Medical Discourses and the Definition of Women as ‘Too Young to Care’.

Abstract In Mexico, as in many other countries, ‘early’ motherhood is defined as a social problem and in some cases as a social epidemic. Looking at the experiences of young mothers and using health promotion materials and policy documents from youth pregnancy prevention programmes, this article explores discourses around youth and sexuality in Mexico. It argues that discourses that define young mothers and fathers as a social problem are closely linked to those that understand youth as a transition, where certain social rituals are expected to mark the entrance into adulthood. The article suggests that pregnancy prevention programmes reproduce chronological expectations regarding women’s reproductive experiences and gendered stereotypes of youth sexuality and parenting experiences. The article looks into the bio-power mechanisms that are displayed to normalize youth sexual behavior at the expense of pathologizing young mothers and fathers. Discourses that define youth sexuality as an individual and as a social risk tend to compromise the provision of effective contraceptive information that would ultimately aid in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.

Young mothers in late modernity: sacrifice, respectability and the transformative neo-liberal subject

In this paper, the experiences of young mothers are examined in the contemporary context of a heightened emphasis on individuated personhood and suggestions of a vastly changed modern femininity. Sociological preoccupation with the features of post-industrial society has emphasized the declining influence of preordained and institutionalized structures. The declining influence of such structures in turn ushers in new requirements for personal agency and decision-making. Under the influence of such posited de-traditionalization, the family is widely conceived to be constituted less through obligation and more through negotiation. Understandings of the regulatory dimensions of neo-liberalism and the post-feminist sensibility are drawn on to consider how young women are implicated in this landscape of de-traditionalization and individualism. This paper reports on Australian empirical research with young women who are mothers that reveals the continuation of supposedly outmoded but evidently enduring features of traditional motherhood. Significantly, though, these supposedly superseded gendered features of family life are now encountered amidst the requirements of reflexive modernity, and it is argued that they are responded to in ways that reflect transformations in the experience of the personal; particularly the construction of individualized biographies of reinvention through motherhood.

Becoming Responsible

Through considering the influence that class and culture have on the experiences of young mothers, this paper will argue that human services aimed at supporting pregnant teenagers and young mothers must take into account three distinct but related issues. These include: how political, social and local discourses that surround teenage pregnancy, young motherhood and responsibility influence decisions regarding young motherhood and abortion; the ways in which working-class and poor young mothers demonstrate agency through the decision-making process; and finally, the importance of developing sexual and maternal health services that reflect the social location of working-class and poor young women.