Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the process of achieving confidence as mother four months after giving birth.
Methods
The subjects of this study were ten first-time mothers with four-month-old children who joined an event at a health care facility in a city in Japan. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and recorded with the mothers' consent. They talked mainly about their perceptions as mothers and how they perceived their infants. We did a continuation comparative analysis. The data were summarized and categories were extracted. Finally the relationships among the categories were reviewed.
Results
The analysis resulted in the emergence of five categories: (1) establish how to take care of herself and her infant through trial and error, (2) realizing the growth of her infant and herself, (3) feeling that her real identity is a mother, (4) making childrearing a priority while also attending to housework and make a new start in life and (5) finding support to validate herself. After giving birth, mothers establish childrearing methods through trial and error. Also they experience the growth of their infant and acquire an actual feeling as mothers. Furthermore, mothers balance taking care of the infant with housework and can make a fresh start in their life after three months. Mothers recognized the evolution of their childrearing ability through the above process.
Conclusion
Only educating mothers about childrearing methods is insufficient. Through mothers' contact with their infants, they notice infants' growth and change. This leads to an actual feeling that she herself is growing as well. Furthermore, for mothers of infants four months old, mothers can balance housework and childrearing as they grow in confidence.
