Lives of grandmothers of twins who are focused on childcare support

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the actual status of the lives of grandmothers who provide childcare support for twins.

Subjects and Methods

We requested research cooperation from multiple pregnancy groups among others as well as medical institutions that handle multiple pregnancies in Prefecture A. A semi-structured interview survey was conducted with six grandmothers of twins who provided childcare support, and the results were qualitatively and descriptively analyzed.

Results

The category [Busyness of providing support for raising two grandchildren] consisted of the subcategories <Crying from two children that cannot be responded to even by two adults>, <Breastfeeding that requires time and effort, unlike my own childcare experience>, <Continuous bathing>, <Providing childcare to the degree that I feel like I am the mother>, and <Physical burden due to aging>; the category [The burden of overlapping responsibilities toward the twins and daughter in addition to family life] consisted of the subcategories <Difficulty of giving the same degree of consideration to family life as before>, <Giving consideration to my daughter>, and <Lack of cooperation of family members living together>; the category [I come second] consisted of the subcategories <Restrictions on time for hobbies>, <Adjustment of the amount of work>, and <Inconvenience of being unable to use my time freely>; the category [Feelings of guilt and family discord arising from the developmental status of the twins and the bias toward one child] consisted of the subcategories <Feelings of guilt from comparing the growth of the twins>, <Feeling sorry that I have a bias>, <The entire family cares more for one of the twins>, and <Family discord resulting from bias>; the category [I want to provide support as my daughter's mother] consisted of the subcategories <As a mother, I want to reduce the burden on my daughter> and <I want to do for my daughter what my parents did for me>; the category [Being a positive experience for me] consisted of the subcategories <Grandchildren follow me>, <By providing childcare support, the psychological distance between my daughter and myself has decreased>, <Enjoyable experiences gained while spending time with my daughter and her twins>, <Experiences have led to health promotion>; and the category [I feel that it cannot be helped for the time being] consisted of the subcategories <Having the outlook that things will become easier with the growth of the twins> and <Prediction that current life situation is for a limited period of time>.

Conclusion

The grandmothers focused their lives on providing childcare support.