Transition to Parenthood and Parental Attachment (Chapter 23)

What is the process of transition to parenthood?

It involves role attainment and role transition as infants develop and change.

Attachment

The process by which a parent comes to love and accept a child and a child comes to love and accept a parent

What is Family Centred Maternal and Newborn Care?

An approach that emphasizes the involvement of family in the care of maternal and newborn health.

What are the key components of parental attachment and bonding?

Attachment, bonding, proximity, interaction, mutuality, acquaintance, and claiming process.

How can attachment behaviors be assessed in parents?

By observing specific behaviors that indicate the formation of emotional bonds.

What are some methods to enhance parent-infant contact?

Increasing parents' awareness of infant responses, rooming-in, and infant feeding sessions.

What behaviors indicate parental attachment when the newborn is presented?

Parents reaching out for the newborn, calling the child by name, and speaking about the newborn's unique traits.

What should be observed regarding parental body contact with the newborn?

Whether parents feel at ease changing the infant's position and how they use their hands during contact.

What types of stimulation should parents provide when the infant is awake?

Talking to the infant, using direct visual contact, and showing comfort in caring for the infant.

What affectionate behaviors can parents demonstrate towards their newborn?

Smiling, stroking, kissing, and rocking.

What comforting techniques might parents use for a fussy infant?

Rocking, talking, or stroking.

How does early contact with the infant facilitate attachment?

Early skin-to-skin contact may enhance the attachment process.

What is the significance of rooming-in for parent-infant contact?

It optimizes family-centered care and encourages family participation.

What are the key senses involved in parent-infant communication?

Touch, eye contact, voice, and odor.

Reciprocity and Synchrony

When they are noticing and responding appropriately to infant cues, mothers and caregivers can be regulators of their infants’ states. The terms

____________________ are used to describe these interactions as they relate to newborn cues.

One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is “serve and return” interaction between children and significant adults in their lives.

Synchrony

The fit between the infant’s cues and the parent’s response. When parent and infant have a synchronous interaction, it is mutually rewarding

What are the stages identified by Mercer in the process of becoming a mother?

-Commitment, attachment to the unborn baby, and preparation for birth and motherhood during pregnancy

-Acquaintance/attachment to the newborn, learning to care for the newborn, and physical restoration during the first 2 to 6 weeks following birth

-Moving toward a new normal

-Achievement of a maternal identity through redefining self to incorporate motherhood (around 4 months)

Maternal Sensitivity & Responsiveness

An important determinant of the maternal–infant relationship. It can be defined as the quality of a mother’s sensitive behaviours that are based on the mother’s awareness, perception, and responsiveness to newborn cues

and behaviours.

Engrossment

The term used for the father’s absorption, preoccupation, and interest in the infant

Characteristics include some of the sensual responses relating to touch and eye-to-eye contact and the father’s keen awareness of features both unique and similar to himself that validate his claim to the newborn.

What phases are involved in becoming a father?

Expectations and intentions, confronting reality, creating the role of an involved father, and reaping rewards.

What adjustments might couples need to make after childbirth?

Resuming sexual intimacy and adapting to infant-parent dynamics.

What are some reactions siblings may have to a new baby?

Behavioral changes, involvement in planning and care, and sibling rivalry.

How do grandparents adapt to the transition of parenthood?

By contributing to family continuity and shifting intergenerational relationships.

What factors influence grandparent involvement in childcare?

Willingness, proximity, ethnicity and culture, and familial factors.

What diversity factors affect transitions to parenthood?

Age, social support, culture, socioeconomic conditions, and personal aspirations.

How do visually impaired parents adapt to parenting?

They may have heightened sensitivity to other sensory input, and skepticism from healthcare providers is common.

What aids can hearing-impaired parents use in parenting?

Technological devices that assist in communication and parenting, along with young children readily acquiring sign language.

What is the focus of nursing care in the context of new parents?

Helping parents cope with infant care, role changes, altered lifestyle, and anticipatory guidance.