Describing the Lived Experiences of Mothers Interacting with their Infant

Abstract

Objective: To describe mothers’ lived experiences of communication and interaction with their term and preterm infant during feeding times and to explore their perceptions of the sources and type of information they received about feeding and interacting with their infant. Method: This pilot study consisted of in-depth, face to face, semi-structured interviews with mothers of infants less than three months of age. Interview length ranged from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, interviews were then transcribed, categorised by topic, and analysed for themes, with influences from levels of analysis as described by Giorgi cited in Dowling (2007). The researcher was influenced by phenomenological philosophies, in particular Heidegger and new phenomenology (Lowes and Prowse, 2001). In order to increase self-awareness and the impact of preconceptions on the research the researcher used tools such as reflection and active listening skills in regard to the interview procedures and when conducting the analysis. Results: Three main themes arose from the research: mothers’ feelings about feeding, support they felt they had during this time and their view on the purpose of feeding. There were discussions regarding mothers’ feelings about feeding in the first months, with many mothers emphasising the struggles they had even comparing feeding to a “second birth”. Participants talked about the importance of support for mothers and the variability in the type and quality of support they received with many saying that they did not have enough support in the areas they needed most help with. However, some also said they received too much support which put pressure on them during the early stages of motherhood. Finally, in relation to perception of the purpose of feeding, many mothers commented that feeding time was a time to focus on nutrition and not on interaction. Conclusions: The themes suggest that mothers viewed feeding times as nutritional rather than interactional and that the level of support and information they received was not always appropriate. The results highlighted that, independent of their babies’ gestational age, not all mothers viewed feeding time as a time for interaction with their baby. The research also provided the opportunity for mothers to discuss candidly their feelings about the early stages of motherhood. Doing so brought up the theme of pressure resulting from the fact that the support and information they received during the early stages of motherhood was not “individualised”. Significance: Further discussion of these findings amongst health professionals is needed so as to explore ways to support all mothers with infants, and not just those with infants receiving specialist care as a result of being preterm.