| Description |
Much research has been done to define and describe the mothering process in the maternal-infant relationship. This research has tended to emphasize the manifestations of attachment behavior in the child while the processes of maternal attachment are poorly documented. Information on the particular behaviors and the sequences into which they fall is also still incomplete. Twenty women were observed immediately following the delivery of their infants and again when they received their baby from the nursery for the first time approximately four to twelve hours later. In addition to behavioral observations information on age, parity, marital status, economic status, education level, amount of prenatal education, the lengths of the first and second stages of labor and the amount and types of analgesia were obtained for each participant. The investigator came to the following conclusions: 1) that mothering behavior can be observed and recorded, 2) that the majority of the mother used bodily contact with their infants to promote the mother-infant relationship, 3) that parity, marital status, educational level, prenatal education, length of the first and second stages of labor and type and amount of analgesia and anesthesia have a significant influence on mother behavior, 4) that the tape recorder is a valuable tool in data gathering, and 5) that there was no particular pattern of behavior repeated within the steps but several patterns were found between the steps. |
