Any moves towards housing new single mothers alone and away from their own mothers should be approached with great caution, a new research report on the experiences of young first-time mothers launched yesterday in Cork has revealed.
The report, which is entitled "To Identify the Needs, Perceptions and Experiences of Young First-Time Mothers", was commissioned by the Northside Initiative for Community Health, which is based in Knocknaheeny and Hollyhill. The research was carried out by the department of nursing studies in UCC.
According to the NICH project manager, Ms Margaret Curtin, the report found that while some mothers reported difficulties with living in crowded accommodation after giving birth, the presence and help given by the maternal grandmother were most significant.
"Extreme caution needs to be taken in any attempt to house new single mothers alone and a distance from the maternal mother," said Ms Curtin. She added that the support came in the form of general childcare, advice and emotional support.
"The findings show that physical, psychological and social support from the maternal mother is the single most important factor in maintaining `motherhood' throughout the first nine months after birth. She emerged as the central figure in helping the first-time mother adapt to her new role and responsibilities."
Support from the partner was found to be strong, both at the time of birth and afterwards. It was important to establish structures to aid these supportive relationships, said Ms Curtin.
The study also recommended that antenatal preparation should be strengthened, as it found that the majority of participants did not attend antenatal classes. Some claimed that they received information on birth from family members or friends, though all appeared unprepared for birth, the study found.
The majority of mothers in the study reported post-natal depression and, although it was evident that there was a lot support from various agencies or individuals, many young mothers still actually felt that they were alone and felt huge personal stress.
According to Ms Curtin, the study also has implications for national policy with regard to promoting breast-feeding. It found that all mothers bottle-fed their babies but felt pressure to breast-feed even though the practice was not supported by their families.
"Breast-feeding, while promoted by midwives, was not acceptable to these young mothers." It appeared that members of the extended family needed to be educated in the subject "if success is to be achieved in breast-feeding objectives locally and nationally," she explained.
Ms Curtin paid tribute to Prof Geraldine McCarthy and Ms Camille Cronin of UCC's department of nursing for the sensitivity and expertise they brought to the project, and to Ms Rosaire Coleman and Ms Mary Byrd, community health workers, who helped recruit participants for the project.