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Cited by 418Maternal and Neonatal HealthcareMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumMaternal and Perinatal Health Interventions

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Transition to parenthood: the needs of parents in pregnancy and early parenthood

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Deave, Toity, Johnson, Debbie, Ingram, Jenny·2008·BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
DOI 10.1186/1471-2393-8-30PMC PMC2519055
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood are major adjustment periods within a family. Existing studies have asked parents, retrospectively, about their experience of antenatal education, mainly focusing on women. We sought to address this gap by asking first-time mothers and their partners about how they could be better supported during the antenatal period, particularly in relation to the transition to parenthood and parenting skills. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 24 nulliparous women with a range of ages from two healthcare organisations in South-West England, 20 of whom had partners. Recruitment took place antenatally at around 28 weeks gestation. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken at home in the last trimester of pregnancy and between 3-4 months postpartum. Content analysis of the interview data was undertaken. RESULTS: Several common themes emerged from both the ante- and postnatal data, including support mechanisms, information and antenatal education, breastfeeding, practical baby-care and relationship changes. Knowledge about the transition to parenthood was poor. Women generally felt well supported, especially by female relatives and, for those who attended them, postnatal groups. This was in contrast to the men who often only had health professionals and work colleagues to turn to. The men felt very involved with their partners' pregnancy but excluded from antenatal appointments, antenatal classes and by the literature that was available. Parents had been unaware of, and surprised at, the changes in the relationship with their partners. They would have liked more information on elements of parenting and baby care, relationship changes and partners' perspectives prior to becoming parents. CONCLUSION: Many studies and policy documents have highlighted the paucity of parents' preparation for parenthood. This study has indicated the need for an improvement in parents' preparation for parenthood, the importance of including fathers in antenatal education and that inadequate preparation remains a concern to both women and their partners. This paper identifies several avenues for action and further research to improve both new parents' experience of antenatal education and their preparation for parenthood.

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Research works printed but not linked: 12

  1. Price S, McKenry P, Murphy M, Eds: Families across Time: A Life Course. 2000, Los Angeles, California: Roxbury Publishing Company
  2. Bartell SS: On becoming a mother: the psychological journey. Int J Childbirth Education. 2005, 20 (1): 28-30.
  3. Barlow C, Cairns K: Mothering as a psychological experience. Can J Counseling. 1997, 31 (3): 232-7.
  4. Gottman JM, Shapiro AF, Parthemer J: Bringing baby home: a workshop for new and expectant parents. Int J Childbirth Education. 2004, 19 (3): 28-30.
  5. McKellar LV, Pincombe JI, Henderson AM: Insights from Australian parents into educational experiences in the early postnatal period. Midwifery. 2006, 22 (4): 356-64. 10.1016/j.midw.2005.09.004. · DOI
  6. Belsky J, Kelly J: The Transition to Parenthood: How a First Child Changes a Marriage. 1994, London: Vermillion
  7. Department for Education and Skills: Every Child Matters. 2003, London: TSO
  8. Department of Health; Department for Education and Skills: National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. 2004, London: Department of Health Publications
  9. NPEU: Recorded delivery: a national survey of women's experience of maternity care. 2007, Oxford: National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
  10. Brotherson SE: From Partners to Parents: couples and the transition to parenthood. Int J Childbirth Education. 2007, 22 (2): 7-12.
  11. NICE: Postnatal care: routine postnatal care for women and their babies. Clinical Guidelines. 2006, London: National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care
  12. Department of Health: The Pregnancy Book. 2007, London: COI, Department of Health

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Metadata

Authors
Deave, T., Johnson, D., & Ingram, J.
Affiliations
  • University of the West of England (GB)
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
Corresponding author
Deave, Toity
ORCID
Venue
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2008-07-29
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
30-30
ISSN
1471-2393 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1471-2393-8-30
PMC
PMC2519055
OpenAlex
W1968539681
Cited by
418
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 23
FWCI
20.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
Keywords
transition to parenthood, prenatal education, primiparous women, postpartum support, breastfeeding, infant care, social support, nulliparous women
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Breast Feeding, Child Rearing, Female, Health Services Needs and Demand, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Interpersonal Relations, Interviews as Topic, Life Change Events, Parents, Pregnancy, Social Support, Stress, Psychological, Parenting, Spouses, Qualitative Research

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