Maternal Role Research Articles

Psychological Processes of Postpartum Mothers with Newborns Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

This research aims to explore the psychological processes of postpartum mothers during the admission of their newborns to the intensive care unit. It is hoped that the findings from this study will serve as a reference for clinical medical staff in providing individual and holistic patient care. Using grounded theory methodology, we collected data through semistructured, one-to-one in-depth interviews. When data saturation occurred, 12 participants were involved through the constant comparative analysis process. The psychological processes consisted of a core category and three main categories. The core category was "worrying about the baby and striving to fulfill maternal responsibilities." The three main categories were as follows:"impact on the maternal role,""recognition of the maternal identity,"and "exhibition of maternal role."The entire process may be affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as breast milk supply, timing of skin-to-skin contact, seriousness of the newborn's health conditions, the support system, and the style of postpartum confinement care. It is recommended that the neonatal intensive care unit should adopt family-centered care, taking an initiative to empathize and care for the mother, assisting skin-to-skin contact for the mother and baby as soon as possible, maintaining established breastfeeding, providing the correct concept of postpartum care, and encouraging participation in support groups. These activities can reduce the impact of the situation on the maternal role and improve maternal identity recognition.

The Maternal Covenant role and function of the mother in the social field

ABSTRACT Juliet Mitchell suggested the need for a principle to intervene at the level of sibling murderousness and called it the law of the mother in reference to Jacques Lacan’s law of the father. While binding the mother and the child to an agreement, this principle does not possess all the properties of a Law. This type of formal agreement has existed in legal thinking since the highest antiquity and is called a covenant. The covenant is not universal, it is valid only for the two parties who commit to it and its transgression is not penalised by a third party representative of the Other. I have called this regulatory principle the Maternal Covenant. It’s power rests on a metonymic process, in which the mother invokes kinship while hiding the unconscious object of her desire. I call this process the Maternal Metonymy. The concepts of Maternal Covenant and Maternal Metonymy are useful tools for the understanding and treatment of issues such as the pathological use of violence, unbearable rivalry both within the family and in the social group, failure or dysfunctional socialisation and the consequences of indecent or shameful behaviours.

ARTISTIC PRINCIPLES OF MATERNITY RECEPTION IN THE NOVEL BY V. LYS «LAND OF BITTER TENDERNESS»

The article analyzes the artistic principles of the representation of motherhood in the prose of V. Lys on the example of his novel «The Land of Bitter Tenderness» by studying the female images of this work. The writer uses the motif of depicting several generations of mothers of the same family. The maternal images of the work acquire an experimental character, because he presents them through a combination of his own vision and real historical and biographical materials. In the novel «The Land of Bitter Tenderness», the reception of a woman-mother is realized as a social function. In order to show the power of motherhood of the women of the depicted family, V. Lys focuses on the relationship between Sofia the Elder and her biological daughter Sofia the Younger against the background of historical changes that affected both the worldview of women and the awareness of their maternal role. Motherhood in the novel is realized in the context of memories of the past of grandmother Dazdraperma and mother Vitaliya, which certainly affects current and future events in Olesya’s life. V. Lys proves that motherhood is a sacrifice for the sake of children, their happiness, well-being and a decent future. We believe that the manifestation of motherhood in the image of Daza is a desire to care, to love someone close, to avoid future loneliness, and at the same time it is a sacrifice of one’s personal life. In Vitaliya’s life, a kind of transformation of goals took place: from self-affirmation as a woman to self-affirmation through motherhood, with which she fills her own lacunae of loneliness. The main female characters in the novel are connected not biologically, but socially. The women in V. Lys’s novel strive to realize their motherly love for other people’s children. Daza and Vita realize the brightest feelings of motherhood while raising their daughters in love. It was these two women who achieved motherhood despite giving up their personal life. They assert themselves through the vocation of preserving and multiplying life. The image of Sofiaelder is the opposite, she sees her role as a mother in total control, which does not give her children the opportunity to spread their wings and build their own lives. So the author proves that the main goal of a woman is to preserve the family, but the heroine must independently choose her own path to realize this goal. Daza and Vita realize their maternal desire in love for other people’s children. Women passed their lives with a series of trials, but managed to keep the light within themselves, which they will be able to pass on to the next generation, so that the conscious nation of Ukrainians will develop and strengthen in the future.

Experiences lived by family members of people who committed suicide: approach to biographic narratives.

To understand the experiences of family members of people who committed suicide and describe the typologies of the biographical cases through the approach of biographical interviews and analysis. Qualitative research, with a reconstructive approach to Rosenthal's biographical cases, based on Schutz's phenomenological sociology. Biographical narrative interviews were conducted between November/2017 and February/2018, in a city in southern Brazil, with eleven family members of people who survived suicide. The analysis followed the phases of Rosenthal's biographical case reconstruction. The reconstruction of two biographical cases were presented. The results point to two distinct typologies: maternal role in the face of suicide and social stigmatization; use of the cultural meaning of family as a resource for coping with suicide. It is important to listen to these family members, as the understanding of their experiences can support health professionals in the implementation of care actions.

Study on the Motherhood in Mercy

Motherhood is worshipped in every society, thus in every context mother is equated to God - a life-giver. Motherhood provides them with the necessary abilities and character to be able to do something useful to others. This paper seeks to investigate the concept of motherhood in Toni Morrison's novel, A Mercy (2008). Morrison, the Nobel laureate, depicts the experiences and hardship of black women in her literary works. In Mercy, the concept of motherhood is broadened to include more than traditional mother-daughter ties. In this tale, mother love takes on a new meaning as a blood connection between all of the female characters. In her work, motherhood is unique, with a wounded spirit and a shattered self. The relationship between mother and kid is not easy, but it is strained. The focus of this study is on the Black mother and the assertive actions she takes to cope with the challenges of hopeless slavery. Morrison illustrates how slavery warped and shaped motherhood through the portrayal of an unconventional mother figure, Minha Mae, and her excruciating experiences, and reveals the circumstances that physically and emotionally separate mother and children. She rejects the conventional concept of motherhood and develops a view of black motherhood that is radically different from motherhood as practiced and prescribed in the dominant culture in terms of both maternal identity and role.

Experience of early motherhood during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Germany: a single-centre before and after comparison

ABSTRACT Purpose To assess maternal mental health during the first weeks after birth including birth experience, postpartum adjustment to early motherhood and the perception of newborn behaviour, and how this may be influenced by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Ninety women who gave birth after the first enforcement of nation-wide disease control restrictions in Germany between 16 March and 10 May 2020 were surveyed and compared with 101 women who had given birth before the pandemic. Information on maternal mental health and maternal perception of early motherhood and neonatal behaviour were assessed at 3–8 weeks postpartum. Results Mothers who gave birth under the COVID-19-associated disease control restrictions did not show significant differences in depression, anxiety and social support scales compared to mothers before the pandemic. Birth experience was similar, while support during birth was perceived to be higher under the COVID-19 restrictions. Confidence in caretaking of the newborn and perception of neonatal behaviour were comparable between the two groups. Mothers expressed significantly higher dissatisfaction with the maternal role during the pandemic. Conclusions Overall, maternal mental health and the perception of the newborn and early caretaking during the first COVID-19 wave did not substantially differ from the perceptions of mothers before the pandemic. A potential influence of the pandemic on higher dissatisfaction with the maternal role may be associated with the pandemic conditions affecting everyday life and should be addressed in postpartum care and in future qualitative and longitudinal studies.

Effects of a newborn care education program using ubiquitous learning on exclusive breastfeeding and maternal role confidence of first-time mothers in Vietnam: a quasi-experimental study

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the effect of a newborn care education program using ubiquitous learning (UL-NCEP) on exclusive breastfeeding and maternal role confidence of first-time mothers in Vietnam.MethodsThis quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group design was conducted at a university hospital in Hue city, Vietnam, between June and July 2018. Eligible first-time mothers were conveniently allocated to the experimental (n=27) and the control group (n=25). Mothers in the control group received only routine care, whereas mothers in the experimental group received UL-NCEP through tablet personal computers in addition to routine care in the hospital. Then, the educational content was provided to mothers by their smartphone for reviewing at home. UL-NCEP was developed based on the World Health Organization’s “Essential Newborn Care Course” guidelines. The exclusive breastfeeding rate and maternal role confidence level after birth and at 4 weeks postpartum were assessed in both groups to assess the effect of UL-NCEP.ResultsAt 4 weeks postpartum, the experimental group showed a significantly higher level than the control, for exclusive breastfeeding rate (p<.05) as well as mean maternal role confidence (p<.05).ConclusionUL-NCEP was a feasible and effective intervention in increasing first-time Vietnamese mothers’ exclusive breastfeeding rate and maternal role confidence level. This program may be integrated into routine care for postpartum mothers to promote mother and infant health among first-time mothers in Vietnam.

Measurement of Cumulative Preterm Neonatal and Maternal Stressors During Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Admission.

By nature, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment is stressful for both infants and mothers. This study aimed to explore and quantify the severity of early life stressors in premature infants admitted to the NICU and evaluate the effect of cumulative neonatal stressors on maternal mental health. This cross-sectional study included 100 preterm infants admitted to the NICU for at least 10 days. Daily experiences with painful/stressful procedures for 10 days were determined using the Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale. The included mothers were assessed for their psychological well-being 1 week after NICU admission using the Parental Stressor Scale: NICU and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. During the first 10 days of NICU admission, preterm infants experienced an average of 350.76 ± 84.43 acute procedures and an average of 44.84 ± 11.12 cumulative hours of chronic events, with the highest scores recorded on first 3 days of admission. Although intravenous flushing for patency was the most frequent acute procedure, blood gas sampling was the most painful. Forty-five percent of the mothers showed significant depressive symptoms, with the maternal role alteration reported as the most stressful experience, especially for young and new mothers (p < .001). The cumulative stressors experienced by infants were significantly associated with elevated maternal perception of psychological maladjustment (p < .001). This study confirmed that the NICU environment is stressful for both infants and mothers, with the total cumulative stressors experienced by preemies in the NICU having an negative impact on maternal mental health.

The Relationship between Maternal Characteristics and Health Workers Role on Early Complementary Feeding in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Early complementary feeding in Indonesia, especially in Palu city, is still relatively high and should focus. Early complementary feeding can negatively affect babies, such as being more susceptible to disease than babies who only get breast milk. This study aims to analyze the relationship between maternal characteristics and the role of health workers on early complementary feeding in the Pantoloan Public Health Center, Palu City. Subjects and Method: This research is quantitative research with a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in all Integrated Healthcare Centers in the Pantoloan Health Center working area from April to October 2021. The research sample was mothers aged 0-6 months with inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sampling is done by total sampling. Complementary feeding was the depen­dent variable in this study. The independent variables in this study were the mother's characteristics in the form of age, education, occupation, maternal parity, and the role of health workers. This Data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed by univariate and bivariate tests. Results: The results showed that there was a significant relationship between maternal charac­teristics in the form of age (p= 0.031), education (p= 0.002), occupation (p= 0.035), parity (p= 0.027), and the role of health workers (p= 0.046) in the provision of early complementary feeding in the work area of the Pantoloan Public Health Center, Palu City. Conclusion: Early complementary feeding can be influenced by maternal characteristics such as age, education, occupation, and parity, as well as the influence of the role of health workers.

The needs and experiences of mothers while in prison and post-release: a rapid review and thematic synthesis

BackgroundWomen in prison are a vulnerable group, often with a history of abuse, out-of-home care, mental health problems and unemployment. Many are mothers when they become involved in the criminal justice system and their gender and parenting related needs are often not considered. The aim of this rapid review was to thematically synthesize the existing research on the needs and experiences of mothers while in, and following release from, prison in Australia.MethodsWe conducted a rapid systematic search of electronic databases, search engines, the websites of key agencies, and contacted key agencies and researchers.ResultsTwenty-two publications from 12 studies met the inclusion criteria and were thematically synthesized in relation to the mothers, their children, family and community, and systems and services which mothers had contact with. We found that mothers in prison have a history of disadvantage which is perpetuated by the trauma of imprisonment. Release from prison is a particularly challenging time for mothers. In relation to their children, the included studies showed that the imprisonment of mothers impacts their maternal identity and role and disrupts the mother-child relationship. Specific strategies are needed to maintain the mother-child relationship, and to ensure the needs and rights of the child are met. In relation to family and community, we found that although family and social support is an important need of women in prison, such support may not be available. Moreover, the stigma associated with having been in prison is a significant barrier to transitions into the community, including finding employment and housing. In relation to systems and services, although limited services exist to support women in prison and on release, these often do not consider the parenting role. Evaluations of parenting programs in prison found them to be acceptable and beneficial to participants but barriers to access limit the number of women who can participate.ConclusionMothers have gender- and parenting-specific needs which should be considered in planning for corrective services in Australia. Any service redesign must place the woman and her children at the centre of the service.

Exploration of the process of maternal role attainment in Iranian mothers with preterm neonate: a grounded theory

ABSTRACT Becoming a mother is an important event in a woman’s life. When a preterm neonate is hospitalized, it is usually difficult for mother to attain maternal role. Nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are in a unique position that can help establish a healthy mother-infant relationship. The purpose of this study was to exploration of the process of maternal role attainment in Iranian mothers with preterm neonate. In this qualitative study, the data were collected through semi-structured interview and observation using field note and memoes writing. The process of data collection was carried out by purposeful sampling from 20 participants. Data were analyzed according to Corbin and Strauss’s approach and using constant comparative analysis technique. Data analysis showed seven categories for the processing of maternal role attainment in Iranian mother with preterm neonate including A) unpleasant engagement; B) Maternal burden; C) Focusing on the baby; D) self-reinforcement; E) Gaining maternal competency; F) extra mothering and G) The context of maternal role attainment. And the “Concern-oriented mothering” also appeared as a core variable. The findings of this study showed that the transition to maternal role in the mother with a preterm neonate is a multidimensional, complex and dynamic social process. The theoretical model developed in this study can help the field of maternal and neonatal nursing in Iran.

Improving Maternal Role on Toddler Oral Hygiene in Integrated Service Center (Posyandu) Beber, Cirebon, Indonesia through Participatory Approach Assistance

Poor dental health on children including caries causes pain and difficulty in chewing. This study aimed to analyze the effect of assistance model on mothers to impove toddler oral health aged 2-5 years old. This research employed quasi-experiment through pretest and posttest approach intervention. The samples were mothers having 2-5 years old toddlers who met inclusion criteria including having PHP-M teeth index score of 40, willing to be involved, the mothers have at least junior high school education level and living in the Posyandu are. Meanwhile, the exclusion criteria was mothers who rarely visited Posyandu. Furthermore, data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate. If the data were not normally distributed, then Wilcoxon test would be done. Difference obtained between before and after the assistance model was provided to the mothers with significance value of p=0.001 (p&lt;0.05). This indicates that assistance model caused changes on mothers’ knowledge at Posyandu. Same results were obtained from attitude, skills and PHP-M index score before and after the intervention with significance value of P=0.001 (p&lt;0.05). This shows that assistance model caused changes on attitude, skills and decrease of toddlers’ PHP-M index score at Posyandu Beber. The outcome of the current research obtained that assistance model is proven to be more effective in improving toddler oral hygiene than extension that was carried out at Posyandu.

The Development and Validation of a Perceived Nursing Support Scale for Mothers of Preterm Infants

Many studies have maintained that nursing support is necessary and essential for mothers of preterm infants; however, the perceived nursing support for mothers of preterm infants has not been sufficiently measured. This study aimed to develop a perceived nursing support scale for mothers of preterm infants (PNSS-MP). The preliminary items of the PNSS-MP were developed through a literature review and in-depth interviews with mothers of preterm infants. Content and face validities were assessed by experts and mothers of preterm infants. A pilot study was conducted to confirm the feasibility and comprehension of the scale. To validate the PNSS-MP, 223 mothers of preterm infants were surveyed. Exploratory factor analyses were performed to confirm construct validity. Convergent and discriminant validities were analyzed using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix. Reliability was tested by calculating Cronbach's α and performing split-half testing. The PNSS-MP consisted of 27 items and was categorized into five factors, explaining 65.3% of the total variance. The factors were named: "baby care support" (7 items), "mental care support" (6 items), "maternal role support" (6 items), "introducing resources support" (4 items), and "information delivery support" (4 items). The overall reliability of the scale was .95. The PNSS-MP adequately reflected the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in South Korea. Additionally, the PNSS-MP proved relatively valid and reliable; therefore, it can be used to measure nursing support in the NICU.

어머니의 학업성취압력과 초등학생의 학업스트레스 간의 관계에서 자아존중감의 조절효과

The purpose of this study was to find the moderating effect of children’s self-esteem on the relationship between maternal academic achievement pressure and children’s academic stress. Participants were 1,402 mothers with fourth-grade elementary school children from 2018 Korean Children Panel. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Correlation analysis was performed and significance of moderated pathways was determined using SPSS 21.0 and PROCESS macro 3.3, respectively. Results are as follows. First, maternal academic achievement pressure showed a positive correlation with children’s academic stress. On the other hand, children’s self-esteem showed negative correlations with maternal academic achievement pressure and children’s academic stress. Second, children’s self-esteem had a moderating effect on the relationship between maternal academic achievement pressure and children’s academic stress. Results of this study suggest that systematic and periodic programs should be developed to improve children’s self-esteem and maternal supportive role.

The Interplay Between the Early Work and Family Trajectories of Young Adult Women Born in West Germany: Differences by Parental Origins

Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), this paper employs sequence analysis to identify “typical” early (observation window limited to ages 15 to 30) employment and family formation trajectories among female second-generation migrants in Germany. For the employment domain of the life course, four types of employment trajectories were identified according to their modal states: “long education,” “full-time employment,” “part-time employment,” and “non-employment.” For the family domain of the life course, three types of family trajectories were identified: “postponement of family formation,” “early family formation,” and “early single motherhood.” For the analysis on cluster affiliation, a multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate how parental origin relates to jointly determined employment and family trajectories. As expected, the descriptive results showed that trajectories of low labor market participation are highly related to trajectories of early family formation. The categorization by parental origins shows that there were few differences in the trajectories of most native and G2 women groups. One pattern that stood out was that compared to other origin groups, G2 women of Turkish parental origin were more likely to be on an early family formation path, and they were more likely to be on a path with multiple non-employment spells. In the modeling strategy, the remaining differences in the women’s patterns were partially explained by the differences in their socioeconomic backgrounds (compulsory school track and the father’s professional degree) and their maternal employment role models (the mother’s employment when the woman was age 15).

The effect of self-care counseling on health practices of adolescent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundPregnancy and childbirth at an early age are associated with potential risks and complications for adolescent mothers. Health practices are behaviors that can positively affect maternal and fetal health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of self-care counseling on health practices (main outcome), attitudes towards motherhood and pregnancy, and pregnancy symptoms (secondary outcomes) in adolescent pregnant women.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial, 54 adolescent pregnant women admitted to the health centers of Bukan, Iran in 2020 were enrolled. Using randomized block design, the participants were randomly assigned to the counseling (n=27) and control (n=27) groups. Those in the intervention group attended 6 self-care group counseling sessions. The Health Practices Questionnaire-II (HPQ-II), Attitudes towards Motherhood and Pregnancy Questionnaire (PRE-MAMA), and Pregnancy Symptoms Inventory (PSI) were completed before and 4 weeks after the intervention.ResultsBased on the results of ANCOVA with controlled baseline values, after the intervention the mean health practices score of the participants in the intervention group was significantly higher than those in the control group (adjusted mean difference (AMD): 36.34; 95% CI: 34.69 to 37.98; P<0.001). The mean attitude towards motherhood score of the participants in the intervention group was significantly higher than those in the control group (AMD: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.06 to 1.96; P= 0.038). However, the mean pregnancy symptoms score of the participants in the intervention group was partially lower than those in the control group (AMD: -1.37; 95% CI: -4.32 to 1.58; P= 0.354).ConclusionSelf-care counseling sessions can improve the health practices of adolescent pregnant women and enhance their attitudes towards maternal role and pregnancy. Therefore, planners are recommended to organize self-care counseling programs for all pregnant women, especially for adolescent pregnant women.Trial registrationIranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT): IRCT20120718010324N54. Date of registration: 2/3/2020. URL: https://en.irct.ir/user/trial/42571/view; Date of first registration: February 3, 2020.

Becoming an adolescent mother: The experiences of young Indonesian new mothers living with their extended families

ObjectiveAdolescent motherhood brings many challenges. While much is written about young mothers’ transition to motherhood and their support needs, there is little from South-East Asian countries such as Indonesia. The aim of this study was to understand the new motherhood experiences of Indonesian adolescent females living with their extended families. DesignEleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with new adolescent mothers. Settinga large women and children’s hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. ParticipantsPurposive sampling was undertaken. Eleven adolescent mother participated in this study. The mean age of the mothers was 17 years, ranging from 16 to 19 years of age. FindingsFour themes emerged: demonstrate transfer of knowledge between generations, sharing tasks with extended family, feeling blessed with extended family and local myth and cultural practice related to caring for the baby. Findingsdemonstrated that transfer of knowledge between generations was important for these adolescent mothers. They shared responsibilities with and felt blessed having their extended families, along with local beliefs and cultural practice related to caring fortheir babies. Discussion and implications for practiceOur findings contribute to understandings of experiences to becoming mothers among Indonesian adolescents living with extended family. Results can be used by healthcare providers, especially nurses and midwives, to develop cultural care interventions and educational program for maternity and psychosocial care for adolescent mothers and their families towards success in the transition period and maternal role attainment.

Bringing Home la Leche: Expanding Teachers’ Maternal Roles in Rural Oaxaca

AbstractMaestra(woman teacher) is the most common occupation of Mexican women who pursue higher education. This coincides with perceptions that teaching is a public manifestation of women's prescribed responsibility for socializing children. And yet, like women teachers elsewhere, maestras who are mothers routinely struggle to juggle their household, childcare and employment responsibilities. This ethnographic study explores the extreme work‐life imbalance experienced by rural maestras in the state of Oaxaca. Because the mountainous terrain and underdeveloped infrastructure complicate commuting, maestras assigned to isolated communities may stay in these villages while their children live with other relatives. This discussion explores ways that these women's extradomestic employment that is at odds with local ideals of the “good mother” who is at home with her children may actually help reshape constructions of maternal roles and responsibilities. Analysis of mothers' narratives reveals the emotional strains of being away from their children, and speaks to the pride these dedicated teachers take in “bringing home the milk” as economic providers. Ultimately, the tensions these agentive mothers confront and negotiate in their private and professional lives underscore ways that the prioritization of the latter in gender role norms limits women's options, choices and opportunities for full empowerment.

Childbearing culture: a prominent context in the process of maternal role attainment in Iranian mothers with preterm neonates.

Transition to the role of mothering is one of the most important events in a woman's life. While childbirth is a biological event, pregnancy and the experiences around it are more influenced by social structure, which is shaped by cultural perceptions and practices. The aim of this study was to explore cultural context during maternal role attainment in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Iran. The study was part of a grounded theory study on how the mothers of preterm neonates go through maternal role attainment. Data collection was carried out by purposeful sampling from 20 participants (15 mothers of preterm neonates and 5 NICU nurses). Data were analysed according to Corbin and Strauss's (2015) approach. Four categories of childbearing culture emerged: 'The necessity of childbearing', 'Childbearing rituals', 'Maternal persistent presence' and 'Attitudes and religious beliefs'. The findings showed that the special beliefs and practices in Iranian culture affected all of the participants' reactions to mothering process. Culture is one of the most important factors affecting the development of motherhood in Iran. In order to provide sensitive and culturally appropriate care, nurses should be aware of the general impact of cultural norms and values on the process of maternal role attainment and strive to meet the cultural needs of all mothers.

Transition to motherhood for Japanese primiparas from delivery to 6 months postpartum: A qualitative study.

AimThis study investigates aspects of the socio‐culturally influenced Japanese primiparas’ transition to motherhood.DesignA qualitative descriptive study approach with interviews of Japanese primiparas was used.MethodsIndividual interviews with 21 Japanese primiparas were conducted, with a focus on their transition to motherhood and familiarization with the maternal role. The interviews were analysed, and categories and subcategories were established. This paper was developed using the COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative studies.ResultsSeven major categories with 26 subcategories were identified in the transition to motherhood. The seven categories are listed as follows: “confusion with first childcare experience,” “suffering related to childcare,” “clinging to the image of an ideal mother,” “internal conflict while comparing oneself to other mothers,” “undertaking childcare by disengaging from one's stereotype,” “realization of becoming a mother” and “changing relationship with surrounding people.”