II. A preliminary investigation of women's experience of motherhood

Abstract

Three hundred and forty-six women volunteers who had given birth after the age of 40 (100 primiparae and 246 multiparae) were the subjects of this study on the experience of pregnancy and motherhood after 40. The subjects were recruited via a letter published in a varied selection of magazines. Women completed two questionnaires on a wide variety of aspects of their experiences of pregnancy and motherhood, and this paper is concerned with their experiences of 40+ motherhood and its effect on their lives.

Parity (first baby vs second or subsequent) influenced the mothers' responses in a variety of areas, including: some of their attitudes towards mothering, the time taken to ‘recover’ from the birth, the extent to which mothers used paid help in the care of their infant, and the need for time without their child. In general, groups did not differ greatly in relation to feeding (e.g. breast vs bottle) and their overall feelings about 40+ motherhood. Subjects were overwhelmingly positive about the experience.

The results were discussed in relation to the literature on this topic, and the experiences reported by these 40+ mothers were found to contrast markedly with the very problem-centred approach in much of the literature on later motherhood.