Other typical issues

PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES OF THE POST PARTAL PERIOD OF A

WOMAN

Phases of puerperium
Taking in phase
-Time of reflection
-2-3 days period, woman is passive
-Dependent
*Is birth really over?
*Could this child really have been inside me?
*Could I be this lucky?
-She rests to gain her physical strength and to calm and contain her swirling thoughts

Taking-hold phase
-Begins to initiate actions and decisions in her own
-May have expressed strong interest in caring for her child
Give woman brief demonstration of baby care

Letting-go phase
Woman finally redefines her new role
Gives up fantasized image of her child and accepts the real one
This process requires some grief work and readjustment of relationship
Development of Parental Love and
Positive Family Relationship
Claiming or bonding- it is the identification process in which she became a
mother tending to her child as she feels comfortable enough to press her
cheeks against the baby’s.
En face position- looking directly at the newborn’s face, with direct eye
contact.
Engrossment- observing of a father by staring at a newborn for long
intervals.
Rooming-in
Complete- the mother and the child are
together 24 hours a day
Partial- infant remains in the woman’s room for
most of the time but then, he or she is taken to
a small nursery near the woman’s room or
returned to a central nursery for the night
rooming in may allow a couple to retain anticipatory guidance
and instructions in newborn care better, because the nurse has
demonstrated bathing, feeding, changing and so forth on their own
child
Sibling visitation
A chance to visit the hospital and see the new baby and their
mother reduces feelings that their mother cares more about the new baby
than about them.
Maternal concerns and feelings
Abandonment
Many mothers admit to feeling abandoned and less important after giving birth because
there is a sudden switch of attention from the mother to the child.
Nurse: How things have changed! Everyone’s asking about the baby today and not about
you, aren’t they? How does that make you feel? (These are welcome words for a woman to hear.
It is reassuring to know that the sensation she is expressing, although uncomfortable, is normal.)
Disappointment
It can be difficult for parents to feel positive immediately about a child who does not meet
their expectations. You can help to change the feelings of a mother or father about their infant by
handling the child warmly, to show that you find the infant satisfactory or even special.
Postpartal blues
It is also called “baby blues”, which is caused by hormonal changes, particularly the
decreased in estrogen and progesterone that occurs with the delivery of the placenta.
May also be a response to dependence and low self-esteem caused by exhaustion,
being away from home, physical discomfort and tension. Syndrome is evidenced by tearfulness,
feelings of inadequacy, mood lability, anorexia and sleep disturbances.
it is important to give the woman a chance to verbalize her feelings. Allowing her to make
as many decisions as possible can help give her a sense of control over her life.
other typical issues identified by postpartal women include breast soreness; regaining
their figure; regulating the demands of housework, their partner and their children; coping with
emotional tension and sibling jealousy; and fatigue.