21 research outputs found
"Reassurance that you're doing okay, or guidance if you're not": A qualitative descriptive study of pregnant first time mothers' expectations and information needs about postnatal care in England
To explore what first time mothers in England expect from postnatal care while they are pregnant, what they would ideally like, where they get their information on postnatal care, and their views on the sufficiency of this information. A qualitative descriptive interview-based study. England PARTICIPANTS: A maximum variation sample of 40 women who were currently in the third trimester of pregnancy; aged 16 or over; planning to give birth in England and had not given birth previously. Semi structured interviews were carried out between October 2017 and March 2018, by telephone (n = 32) and face to face (n = 8). Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. There were six themes and twelve subthemes. The themes were: (1) 'Piecing together snippets of information' containing subthemes 'Incomplete official sources' and 'Other mothers' stories'; (2) 'Planning ahead or going with the flow' containing subthemes 'Wanting more information' and 'Postnatal care not a priority'; (3) 'Judgement or reassurance' containing subthemes 'Real: Being judged', 'Ideal: Reassurance and non-judgmental advice'; (4) 'Focus of care' containing subthemes 'Real: A focus on checks and feeding', 'Ideal: More focus on mother's wellbeing'; (5) 'A system under pressure' containing subthemes 'Real: Busy midwives, reactive care', 'Ideal: Reliable, proactive information'; (6) 'Deciding about discharge', containing subthemes 'Real: Confusion about decision-making', 'Ideal: More control over length of hospital stay'. First time mothers' experience of the transition to parenthood could be improved by antenatal access to comprehensive information about the timing, location, content and purpose of postnatal care. Information should take a woman-centred perspective and cover all settings (hospitals, birth centres, home, community), including the roles and responsibilities of all the professionals who may be involved. Clear and comprehensive information about postnatal care should be provided to all women in ways that are accessible at any stage of pregnancy or the postnatal period. As women pregnant for the first time worry about being judged if they seek professional advice and reassurance postnatally, information about postnatal care should aim to address this. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Parenting Science Gang : radical co-creation of research projects led by parents of young children
Background Parents are increasingly searching online for information supported by research but can find it difficult to identify results relevant to their own experiences. More troublingly, a number of studies indicate that parenting information found online often can be misleading or wrong. The goal of the Parenting Science Gang (PSG) project was to use the power of the Internet to help parents ask questions they wanted to have answered by scientific research and to feel confident in assessing research evidence. Methods By using Facebook to recruit groups and facilitate interactions, PSG was able to engage fully the target public of parents of young children in the radical co-production of scientific studies, while not creating an undue burden on time or restricting participants due to disability, financial status or location. By giving parents true partnership and control of creation of projects, PSG ensured that the chosen questions were ones that were of most relevance and interest to them. Results This paper presents a summary of eight projects, with three in more detail, designed and implemented by PSG Facebook groups in collaboration with experts. Most projects had health related themes, often prompted by dissatisfaction with treatment of parents by health professionals or by feelings of being marginalised by pregnancy and motherhood, as well as by the lack of evidence for their questions and concerns. The PSG approach meant that these frustrations were channelled into actions. All eight of the PSG groups engaged in meaningful interactions with experts and co-produced studies with the groups defining the questions of interest. Conclusions This radically user-led design meant that the PSG staff and the collaborating experts had to live with a high degree of uncertainty. Nevertheless, PSG achieved its goal of academically productive, truly co-produced projects, but as important were the positive effects it had on many of the participants, both parents and experts. At the point of writing this paper, PSG projects have led to outputs including at least eight papers published, in press or in preparation, seven conference presentations, testimony to the Infant Feeding All-Party Parliamentary Group, and with more to come
Process evaluation of a peer-led antenatal breastfeeding class for fathers: perceptions of facilitators and participants
Background: The Parent Infant Feeding Initiative (PIFI) was a factorial, randomised controlled trial that aimed to prolong exclusive breastfeeding by targeting expecting fathers. One of the intervention strategies evaluated was a father-focused breastfeeding class facilitated by a male peer facilitator. The aim of this mixed-methods descriptive study was to 1) evaluate the feedback provided from participants of the class and 2) explore the motivations and experiences of volunteer male peer facilitators trained to deliver the class. Methods: Father-focused breastfeeding antenatal (FFAB) classes were conducted in six Western Australian hospitals between August 2015 and December 2016. Following each peer facilitated FFAB class, expecting father participants completed an evaluation form to assess their satisfaction with the format, facilitation and content, in addition to whether their expectations and confidence to manage breastfeeding problems had changed. Feedback to open-ended questions was analysed using content analysis to identify learnings and suggestions for improvements. At the completion of PIFI, individual telephone interviews were undertaken with 14 peer facilitators to gain insight into their motivations for volunteering and experiences of conducting the classes. Transcripts from interviews were analysed using Braun and Clarkeâs six phases for thematic analysis. Results: Participant evaluation forms were completed by 678 of the 697 father participants (98%). Overall satisfaction with class format, facilitation and content was high with 90% or more of fathers either strongly agreeing or agreeing with each positively-phrased evaluation item. Class participants enjoyed interacting with other fathers, appreciated validation of their role, were not always aware of the importance of breastfeeding or potential difficulties, valued the anticipatory guidance around what to expect in the early weeks of parenting and appreciated learning practical breastfeeding support strategies. Peer facilitators indicated they felt well prepared and supported to conduct FFAB classes. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed common experiences of the peer facilitators incorporating four themes: âHighlights of being a facilitatorâ, âChallengesâ, âMourning the project completionâ and âSatisfaction with training and supportâ. Conclusion: Father-focused breastfeeding classes supported by volunteer male peer facilitators are a feasible and acceptable way of engaging fathers as breastfeeding supporters. Trial registration: ACTRN12614000605695. Registered 6 June 2014
BMC Public Health
BACKGROUND: In 2009, the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health set out its recommendations for action, which included establishing equity from early childhood onwards by enabling all children and their mothers to benefit from a comprehensive package of quality programmes. In order to address social inequalities in health, it is recommended that action be taken from early childhood, and actions providing support for parenting are an effective lever in this respect. The aim of this review of systematic reviews is to analyse, on the one hand, the components and characteristics of effective interventions in parenting support and, on the other, the extent to which the reviews took into account social inequalities in health. METHODS: A total of 796 reviews were selected from peer-reviewed journals published between 2009 and 2016 in French or English. Of these, 21 reviews responding to the AMSTAR and selected ROBIS criteria were retained. These were analysed in relation to the consideration they gave to social inequalities in health according to PRISMA-equity. RESULTS: The reviews confirmed that parenting support programmes improved infants' sleep, increased mothers' self-esteem and reduced mothers' anger, anxiety and stress levels. The mainly authors noted that the contexts in which the interventions had taken place were described either scantly or not at all, making it difficult to evaluate them. Only half of the reviews had addressed the question of social inequalities in health. In particular, there had been little research conducted on the relational aspect and the social link. CONCLUSION: In terms of addressing social inequalities in perinatal health, the approach remains both modest and reductive. Understanding how, for whom and in what conditions interventions operate is one way of optimising their results. Further research is needed to study the interactions between the interventions and their contexts
First-time parents' prenatal needs for early parenthood preparation : A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative literature
Objective: contribute to the existing body of knowledge about the specific needs of first-time parents specifically for early parenthood. Method: the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, Family Studies Abstracts, and Web of Science, were searched using search terms: prenatal, antenatal, preparation, education, parents, parenthood. The meta-synthesis included 12 articles representing 12 studies. The meta-ethnographic approach of Nobilt and Hare was used in the meta-synthesis. Synthesis and Findings: first-time expectant and new parents reflect a need for antenatal education to actively include male partners pre- and postnatal. Participants wished for early and realistic information about parenting skills, and to have the opportunity to seek support and help from health professionals when need arose especially during the early postnatal period. Another element was the need to learn both from peers and other new parents coming as guest speakers. Participants wished to have been well informed ahead of time, about the possible changes in their conjugal relationship and the related coping strategies. Key conclusions: equal emphasis should be placed both during the prenatal and postnatal periods in antenatal education classes. Implications for practice: interventions aiming at enhancing positive transitions to parenthood could be introduced early during the postnatal period. Parenthood education classes could adopt adult learning strategies that are participatory, and experiential in nature
Learning the ABCs of pregnancy and newborn care through mobile technology.
The diffusion of mobile phones in low- and middle-income countries has taken place faster than any other infrastructural development. Mobile Midwife, a mobile application implemented in Ghana in 2010, sends timely messages in local languages to registered expectant mothers and new parents. The field of mobile health (mHealth) is severely underresearched, yet it can be an alternative for improving health systems and the ways in which health services are delivered