Experiences of single teenage women during the first weeks following childbirth.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of single teenage women during the first weeks following childbirth. The objectives of the study were to discover how young mothers cope during their transition to motherhood; to gain insight on the positive and negative effects associated with their maternal adjustment and to explore the social support provided to teenage mothers in the immediate post natal period. Ethical approval and other permissions were acquired from all respective authorities. To fulfill the study's aim, data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questions. The sample included 30 single teenage mothers aged 18 and 19 years who were recruited by convenience sampling. A response rate of 100% was obtained. Data was analyzed manually using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The transition to motherhood has presented various changes in the life routine of these young mothers. Most mothers struggled to cope with the added tasks of parenting but they felt it had transformed them into mature and responsible mothers. Social support especially from the teen mothers' family and partners played an important role to their adjustments to motherhood. Results were discussed and compared to other similar studies. Recommendations include antenatal and postnatal group classes; parenting skills for grandmothers; better community midwifery care for teenage mothers; the need to increase awareness on sex education among teenagers; and to repeat the study on a larger scale with younger adolescent mothers to generalise results.