Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to clarify the mother's interpretation of the elder child's reac-tion towards his/her one-month-old sibling as well as the mother's understanding of the emotional manifestations of her first child.
Method
The present study included fifteen women who gave birth to a healthy second child after 36 weeks of gestation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the 15 women during a one-month period, beginning at the newborn's one-month check-up and ending at the second month after birth. The data was analyzed qualitatively.
Results
According to the mothers, each child's behavior can be classified into three categories: their reaction to the newborn sibling, their reaction towards their mother and other intimate people, and their reaction towards themselves.
The first category shows three types of speech and behavior that indicate the first child's difficulty in understanding the presence of his/her sibling with patience, interest or concern toward his/her sibling that are accompanied by the feelings of affection and awareness, and jealousy of his/her sibling.
The second category also shows three types of speech and behavior that indicate the first child's uneasiness in regards to parting from his/her mother, desire to draw closer to his/her mother, and to further attract the closely related.
The third category shows one type of speech and behavior that indicates the first child's self-awareness and maturing behavior.
Conclusion
The mothers were making an effort in observing and understanding their children's feelings, speech, and behaviors after the arrival of the newborn. The mothers didn't recognize only one affectionate reaction in their elder child's behavior towards his/her sibling. The mothers also viewed their first-borns' aggressive reactions towards the new baby, their mother, and others close to the child. But the mothers viewed this behavior as natural because they understood their children's age and the situation surrounding the birth of a new sibling
Consequently, the results of the study indicate that when the mother understood the confusion felt by the elder child and their reactions then the elder child would want to depend on his/her mother like before the arrival of the newborn.
It also indicated that if the elder child had security then the child would understand that his/her mother would praise him/her for his/her self-growth and maturity. The mother will also give her child a helping hand when the child wants because the elder child often lends a helping hand to his/her mother. Mother and child have a strong healthy relationship.
