Faciltating the transition into motherhood through lullaby singing: A pilot study

This study explored how singing lullabies to babies impacts on first-time mothers' perceived coping and experience of mothering. Eighteen first-time mothers participated in a six-week lullaby intervention program. Data comprised of detailed diaries kept by the mothers over the six weeks in addition to semi-structured interviews with the mothers, pre and post-intervention. Results suggest that lullabies benefit mothers by relaxing and calming them, distracting them from other stressful thoughts, enhancing their experience of the bedtime task and enhancing their perception that they are good mothers. Results indicate that mothers' experience of the bedtime task and her transition to motherhood may be enhanced through singing lullabies to their babies at bedtime.

Endangered ancestress revisited: Sarah's miraculous motherhood and the restoration of Eden

The paper examines the ‘endangered ancestress’ theme in Genesis, in which the matriarchs, Sarah and Rebecca, are passed off to alien rulers as the sisters of their respective husbands, in Sarah’s case twice. Rather than viewing these incidents as clumsy duplication, the paper reads them as a literary device in a continuous narrative. The paper argues that when read in this way, these incidents serve to underline the singular status of Sarah in contrast to Rebecca and subsequent matriarchs. Sarah is shown to be the unique foremother of Israel. Alone of all her sex, she represents a pristine new beginning, analogous to human beginnings in Eden.

Motherhood plans among young Australian women - Who Wants children these days?

Fertility rates in the developed world have been below replacement level for 25 years, and it is often assumed that this results from deliberate, unconstrained individual choice. Data from 7448 childless women aged 22 to 27, participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, indicate that 9 per cent aspire to childlessness, with 72 per cent wanting I or 2 children and 19 per cent more. Differences in psychological functioning disappear after adjustment for socioeconomic variables. Women wanting 1 or 2 children also want paid work, while those wanting many children generally have traditional aspirations. Policy-makers need to consider strategies that support women to negotiate motherhood and paid work.

Predictors and outcomes of early motherhood in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health

Early motherhood is identified as a social problem, and having children at an early age is assumed to lead to psychological distress, welfare dependence and socioeconomic disadvantage. Analysis of responses from 9,689 young participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health was used to examine predictors and outcomes of early motherhood in Australia. Survey 1 (1996, aged 18 - 23) and Survey 2 (2000, aged 22 - 27), were used to categorize women as Childless, Existing Mothers (before Survey 1) and New Mothers (became mothers before Survey 2). Multivariate logistic regressions provided comparisons on sociodemographics, gynaecological variables, psychological wellbeing and health behaviours. Survey 1 data show that Existing Mothers experience socioeconomic disadvantages and unhealthy lifestyles. However, those who will go on to become mothers earlier than their peers already experience similar disadvantages. Further, the Survey 2 data show that, when these pre-existing disadvantages are controlled for, the additional deficits experienced by early mothers are relatively minor. Social disadvantage predisposes women to become mothers early, and to adopt unhealthy behaviours. However, young Australian women cope well with the challenges of early motherhood. In the longer term, unhealthy lifestyles and low education may lead to ill health and disadvantage, but early motherhood is not the initiator of this trajectory.

Determinants of active leisure for women with young children - an "ethic of care" prevails

Women are significantly less likely than men to participate in physically active leisure. Women with children are less likely to participate in active leisure compared with women who do not have children. Social pressure to fulfil the role of being a good mother has been suggested in discussions regarding constraints to physical activity as has the use of leisure engagement as a means of challenging social expectations and structured gender relations. This study explored determinants of active leisure participation through in-depth interviews with 12 heterosexual mothers of young children who were purposively sampled with contrasting levels of partner support, physical activity, and socioeconomic status. The findings suggested that household norms relating to gender-based time negotiation and ideologies regarding an ethic of care were important determinants of active leisure among women with young children. A better understanding of these issues could be important in the development of strategies for promoting greater participation in physical activity among women.

Emerging adulthood and patterns of physical activity among young Australian women

The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is associated with a sharp decline in physical activity, particularly for women. This article explores the relations between physical activity status and change and status and change in four life domains: residential independence, employment status, relationship status, and motherhood. Two waves of survey data from a representative sample of 8,545 Australian women, aged 18-23 at Survey 1 and 22-27 at Survey 2, were analyzed. Cross-sectionally, physical inactivity was most strongly related to being a mother married, and not being in the labor force. Longitudinally, decreases in physical activity were most strongly associated with moving into a live-in relationship, with getting married, and with becoming a mother When considered in combination, women who were married with children and not employed outside the home were the most likely to be physically inactive. The data suggest that adoption of adult statuses, particularly traditional roles involving family relationships and motherhood, is associated with reductions in physical activity for these women, although it is possible that the effect is driven by socioeconomic factors associated with early transitions. The data suggest a need for interventions to promote continued physical activity among young women who cohabit or marry and among those not in the workforce, in addition to those supporting young mothers to be physically active.

Choosing to have children or choosing to be childfree: Australian students' attitudes towards the decisions of heterosexual and lesbian women

Research has demonstrated that voluntarily childless heterosexual women, and lesbian women choosing to become mothers, are negatively stereotyped. However, there is little recent Australian research, and attitudes may have changed in line with changing family formation patterns. This study assessed young Australians' attitudes towards either a lesbian or a heterosexual woman who was planning, or not planning, to have children. One hundred and nineteen first year psychology students, and members of the general public, participated. The majority of participants were under 20, female, European Australian and single. Participants read a brief description of a woman who was variously described as having a male or a female partner, and as planning or not planning to have children. As expected, participants rated the heterosexual woman more favourably than the lesbian, and the woman wanting children more positively than the woman not wanting children. However, there was a trend for the lesbian woman planning to have children to be rated as happier, more mature and more individualistic than others. The legal and social implications associated with wanting to be a lesbian mother in Australia make motherhood a more difficult process for lesbian women than it does for heterosexual women, and may explain why lesbian women who have decided to take this difficult path are seen as happier and more mature, than women making more conventional life choices. While the predominantly young, female student sample limits the generality of the findings, they suggest that social attitudes towards female sexual orientation and women's childbirth decisions are changing.

From partying to parenthood: young women's perceptions of cigarette smoking across life transitions

This study explored influences on adoption, maintenance and cessation of smoking among young women as they experienced life transitions: leaving home, gaining employment or attending college/university, marriage and parenthood. Standardized, open-ended telephone interviews were conducted with 80 women (including never smokers, continuing smokers, recent adopters and quitters) aged 24-29 years, recruited from participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The social context of smoking (socializing with other smokers, drinking alcohol and going to pubs and clubs) was perceived to be a predominant influence on smoking from the time young women left home until they settled into a committed relationship or started their own family. Stress was identified as an important factor as they experienced lifestyle changes. An increased sensitivity to the negative aspects of smoking after turning 21 was reported, and around the mid-20s the women became concerned about the addictive nature of cigarettes. Motherhood was seen to carry increased responsibilities to protect children from passive smoking and there was a perceived importance of positive role modelling to protect children from becoming smokers themselves. This study highlights the need for public health campaigns to address the social role that smoking plays in young women's lives, and the perceived use of cigarettes for stress relief. Life changes such as settling down with a partner and the contemplation of motherhood provide opportunities for targeted interventions to promote quitting.

Does timing and sequencing of transitions to adulthood make a difference? Stress, smoking, and physical activity among young Australian women

The major changes of the transition to adulthood are argued to be stressful, and health-related behaviors such as smoking and physical activity may be adopted, consolidated, or abandoned at this time. On the other hand, research has suggested that the normative transitions of emerging adulthood, although involving considerable change, may be associated with low stress because they are perceived as both positive and normal at this life stage. This article examines relations between the timing and sequencing of life transitions and stress and health-related behaviors, focusing on the transition to young adulthood among Australian women. A total of 853 women aged 22 to 27 provided information about the timing and sequencing of 6 life transitions: moving out of home, stopping full-time education, starting full-time work, having the first live-in relationship, marriage, and motherhood-and stress, smoking, and physical activity. Most had moved out of home, stopped full-time education, and started full-time work, but only 14% had undertaken all 6 transitions. Overall, 70% of participants had made transitions in order Overall, the findings suggest that the relations between timing and sequencing of transitions, and indicators of health, are moderate for smoking, but small for stress and for physical activity. These effects remained after controlling for socioeconomic status of the participants' families of origin. Matching current social norms for the timing and sequencing of life changes may be of less importance for women's well-being than is commonly believed. Although the significant relations between early or out of order transitions and smoking are of concern, the smaller relations with stress and with sedentariness suggest that such transitions may have limited negative consequences, and support the view that individuals are active in choosing the life path that is appropriate for them and their circumstances.

Maternal health during pregnancy and perinatal mortality in Bangladesh: evidence form a large-scale community-based clinical trial

Perinatal mortality is very high in Bangladesh. In this setting, few community-level studies have assessed the influence of underlying maternal health factors on perinatal outcomes. We used the data from a community-based clinical controlled trial conducted between 1994 and 1997 in the catchment areas of a large MCH/FP hospital located in Mirpur, a suburban area of Dhaka in Bangladesh, to investigate the levels of perinatal mortality and its associated maternal health factors during pregnancy. A total of 2007 women were followed after recruitment up to delivery, maternal death, or until they dropped out of the study. Of these, 1584 who gave birth formed our study subjects. The stillbirth rate was 39.1 per 1000 births [95% confidence interval (CI) 39.0, 39.3] and the perinatal mortality rate (up to 3 days) was 54.3 per 1000 births [95% CI 54.0, 54.6] among the study population. In the fully adjusted logistic regression model, the risk of perinatal mortality was as high as 2.7 times [95% CI 1.5, 4.9] more likely for women with hypertensive disorders, 5.0 times [95% CI 2.3, 10.8] as high for women who had antepartum haemorrhage and 2.6 times [95% CI 1.2, 5.8] as high for women who had higher haemoglobin levels in pregnancy when compared with their counterparts. The inclusion of potential confounding variables such as poor obstetric history, sociodemographic characteristics and preterm delivery influenced only marginally the net effect of important maternal health factors associated with perinatal mortality. Perinatal mortality in the study setting was significantly associated with poor maternal health conditions during pregnancy. The results of this study point towards the urgent need for monitoring complications in high-risk pregnancies, calling for the specific components of the safe motherhood programme interventions that are designed to manage these complications of pregnancy.