It is well known that recovering from childbirth can be a real challenge for many women. New mothers are, mostly, left to self care and manage their own recovery process. In seeking to feel like their old selves again mothers in this ethnographic study took longer than the traditional six weeks and needed to manage their feelings around being cooped up after childbirth. This article highlights an

aspect of self care such as getting out and about, with or without the baby – a process that is pivotal to good recuperation and a sense of wellbeing after childbirth

Wray, J

English

It is well known that recovering from childbirth can be a real challenge for many women. New mothers are, mostly, left to self care and manage their own recovery process. In seeking to feel like their old selves again mothers in this ethnographic study took longer than the traditional six weeks and needed to manage their feelings around being cooped up after childbirth. This article highlights anaspect of self care such as getting out and about, with or without the baby – a process that is pivotal to good recuperation and a sense of wellbeing after childbirth

University of Salford Institutional Repository

22 February 2011 THE PRACTISING MIDWIFE ■ VOLUME 14 NUMBER 2SUMMARYIt is well known that recovering from childbirth can be a realchallenge for many women. New mothers are, mostly, left to selfcare and manage their own recovery process. In seeking to feel liketheir old selves again mothers in this ethnographic study took longerthan the traditional six weeks and needed to manage their feelingsaround being cooped up after childbirth. This article highlights anaspect of self care such as getting out and about, with or withoutthe baby – a process that is pivotal to good recuperation and a senseof wellbeing after childbirth. Keywords postnatal, motherhood, wellbeing, recovery, self-careAuthor Julie Wray, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery,University of Salford, and Joint Editor, The Practising Midwife.Feeling cooped up after childbirth – the need to go out and aboutM uch has been written aboutmotherhood and transition toparenting from variousperspectives such as health, sociological andpsychological. Professionals (in all theirguises) write about motherhood and thechallenges of  parenting adaptation, as doother experts – including mothersthemselves. I have previously written about women’s recovery followingchildbirth and how, in undertakingresearch, I have found that the postnatalperiod is a starting point for many mothers(Wray 2006, 2009). In other words, it is thebeginning of  being a mother and parent –certainly not the endpoint. Despite the notion that recovery frombirth is located within time parameters,traditionally six weeks (puerperium) (WHO1998, Marchant 2003), for many mothersthe reality is that it takes much longer thanthis. At varying points over time womenwill say, ‘I am feeling like my old self  again’and typically this comment is articulatedboth before and after the magic six weeks,but primarily it is after. In this article I seekto provide some insights into how womenself  care and manage their own health andwellbeing by having some ‘me time’ and‘getting out and about’ after childbirth. Self careWithin this trajectory of  recovery, womenexperience ‘self  care’ and manage their ownhealth and wellbeing as they strive to getback to normal (whatever that is). Troy andDalgas-Pelish (2003), in looking atpostnatal fatigue, found that, for manymothers, self  care prevailed over time.Certainly in my own study I found thatlearning to manage one’s own health andwellbeing alongside becoming a mother isno easy task. Indeed, it can be a lonely andchallenging process from both a physicaland emotional perspective. Of  interest hasbeen the discovery that new mothers craveto be able to go out and about as soon aspossible after childbirth, more so having hada hospital stay irrespective of  the type ofbirth (Wray 2009, 2010). Women can bedesperate to go out and about as theirconfinement has the potential to impact ontheir personal freedoms. As one mother said:I was confined to the house and I felt quitecooped up.The sentiment of  caring for the selfthrough ‘getting out and about’ has muchappeal and can facilitate recovery in theearly days and weeks.  A real sense ofwellbeing can be achieved in ‘being able toget out and do things’. Such commentshave resonated with community midwiveswho, on the one hand, can be critical ofwomen when on arriving for a home visitfind there is no one in; yet on the otherhand there is an understanding amongmidwives that expecting women to stay incan be most challenging. IndependenceThe notion of  being cooped up, for somewomen, connected with their loss ofindependence. Clearly there are physicalgains from being able to get out and aboutbut the personal sense of  triumph andcontrol associated with doing so can beequally beneficial for new mothers. I foundthat mothers really appreciated and tookpleasure in going out without their babies;as one mother said, ‘It’s nice to get out of  thehouse and not be with the baby’. That said,many told me how they felt weird or guiltygoing out without their babies and thuswould frequently phone home to check howthey were. Importantly, women can feelrelieved from the cooped-up feeling by goingout with their baby, too. ‘Me time’A feature of  getting out and aboutconnected to what was often termed ‘metime’. So, in fact, it might be that womenLearning to manageone’s own health andwellbeing alongsidebecoming a mother isno easy task. Indeed,it can be a lonely andchallenging processfrom both a physicaland emotionalperspectiveGetting out in the earlypostnatal period is vitalto a woman’s recoveryprocess, says Julie WrayTHE PRACTISING MIDWIFE ■ VOLUME 14 NUMBER 2 February 2011  23craved some quiet time alone or someprivate time to consider the self  in some way.Having some time out away from one’s babywas a desire of  many women, as havingsome time off  helped in feeling well andachieving a good recovery. As one mother said: It’s nice sometimes to get a break, it’s nice tofeel that you don’t have to do it all the time,’cause I went out with my sister and a friendthe other night, so that was nice to sort of  justgo out and forget for an hour or so that you’vegot children. Intriguingly, I found that in the first fewweeks, and months for some women,permission to consider the self  was keptrather private and contained, only to beshared with close family and/or friends whocould be trusted. A fear lay in being found tobe selfish, a non-devoted mother orthoughtless. This, to me, was a strongindication of  the nature of  privacy inrelation to the subject of  the self. Womenmade efforts to protect against publicopinion concerning their desires to go outalone. As such, there existed a real tensionbetween the needs and wants of  the self  inhaving some personal space against beingjudged as selfish. Furthermore, as many ofthe women involved in my study (Wray2010) had invested much time and thoughtin taking responsibility for their ownwellbeing, such a tension added to theirdecision making. ConclusionIn summary, it is important that we considercarefully our judgements and views abouthow mothers recover after birth. I wouldargue that feeling cooped up and trapped inone’s own home is not conducive to makinga good recovery. A desire of  many newmothers in the early days and weeks is to beorganised, dressed and able to go out, withor without their baby. This is a basicaspiration and need during the recuperationevent such as childbirth. Mothers shouldfeel supported in their quest to get out andabout; we should not be critical butcelebrate their achievement. TPMJulie Wray is senior lecturer, School ofNursing and Midwifery, University ofSalford, and Joint Editor, The PractisingMidwife.ReferencesMarchant S (2003). ‘Physiology and care in thepuerperium’. In: Fraser D and Cooper M (Eds).Myles Textbook for Midwives (14th edition).Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Troy NW and Dalgas-Pelish P (2003). ‘Theeffectiveness of a self-care intervention for themanagement of postpartum fatigue’. AppliedNursing Research 16:1, 38-45. WHO (1998). Postpartum Care of the Motherand Newborn: A Practical Guide. Report of aTechnical Working Group. Geneva: Maternaland Newborn Health/Safe Motherhood Unit.Wray J (2006). ‘Postnatal care: is it based onritual or a purpose? A reflective account’.British Journal of Midwifery, 14 (9): 320-326. Wray (2009). ‘Research: The postnatal period:an ending or a beginning?’ New Digest, 48:28-29.Wray J (2010). ‘Giving meaning to postnatalcare through women’s experiences: anethnographic study’. DMRS 1st GlobalConference, Ulster. There are physicalgains from being ableto get out and aboutbut the personal senseof triumph andcontrol associatedwith doing so can beequally beneficial fornew mothersThere existed a realtension between theneeds and wants ofthe self in havingsome personal spaceagainst being judgedas selfish

Feeling cooped up after childbirth – the need to go out and about.

Physiology and care in the puerperium’. In: Fraser

Postnatal care: is it based on ritual or a purpose? A reflective account’.

Postpartum Care of the Mother and Newborn: A Practical Guide. Report of a Technical Working Group. Geneva: Maternal and Newborn Health/Safe Motherhood Unit.

Research: The postnatal period: an ending or a beginning?’

The effectiveness of a self-care intervention for the management of postpartum fatigue’.

https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/file/1454908/1/TPM_FEB_2011_TPM_feb_08_.pdf

Feeling cooped up after childbirth – the need to go out and about.

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