Experiences of mothers raising twins who use peer support from pregnancy to the child-rearing period

Abstract

Objective

This study seeks to clarify the experiences of mothers raising twins from pregnancy through the child-rearing period and assess the need for and effectiveness of peer support for these mothers.

Subjects and Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three mothers who were raising twins under the age of three and participating in peer support activities. The collected data were subjected to qualitative descriptive analysis.

Results

Nine categories were identified to describe the experiences of mothers raising twins. They fell into two core categories: experiences of mothers raising twins from pregnancy to the child-rearing period and experiences of using peer support. Within the former, mothers encountered the unique physical and emotional challenges associated with twin pregnancies and grappled with insufficient information dissemination about twin pregnancies. After childbirth, they experienced ambivalent emotions as they were discharged from hospital separately from their children. As they transitioned into the child-rearing period, the burden of raising twins was immense, particularly the difficulty of going out while raising twins, which contributed to the isolation that these mothers experienced. Regarding their experiences of using peer support, some of the participants had a lengthy journey prior to using it. However, the aid that peer support organizations offered to mothers of twins proved to be advantageous in addressing the day-to-day challenges of twin parenting. The psychological impact of peer support activities was irreplaceable and profoundly significant, providing a sense of reassurance for mothers raising twins. The role of cyclically engaged peer supporters was also readily apparent.

Discussion

Since the use of peer support plays a major emotional role for mothers raising twins, the results suggest that it is important to provide supportive interventions through peer support to mothers raising twins from the early stages of pregnancy in order to prevent social isolation of mothers.