Maternal perception of an infant during the first month after birth

Abstract

The way in which first-time mothers described their babies after birth and 1 month later was examined in British and Polish women. The participants were interviewed in postnatal rooming-in wards and the Neonatal Adjective Checklist WAC) was administered. Women from both samples used a range of adjectives for their new-borns and babies, and usually employed positive descriptions. Factor analysis revealed that both groups of mothers used the same constructs when describing their new-borns and babies. These constructs referred to children's emotions, activity, demands made on care-givers and prettiness. The way new-borns were described was associated with maternal education, opinion about labour, duration of labour and method of delivery. One month after birth descriptions were related to the sex of the baby, maternal education, method of feeding and satisfaction with partner's involvement in child-care.