RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To understand women's experiences as older first-time mothers during the transition to menopause. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A hermeneutic, phenomenological study exploring the lived experiences of 13 women aged 39 to 47 when they achieved first-time motherhood. Women were mothering one or more children aged 12 or younger and experiencing symptoms of perimenopause. Data were generated through two in-depth interviews with each woman. Meaning was mutually negotiated through dialogue with the women and simultaneously with the text, as well as through ongoing data analysis. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: Achieving First-Time Motherhood at Midlife, Intensive Mothering, Out of Sync, and Perimenopause as a State of Uncertainty. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Increasingly, nurses and nurse midwives will be caring for women aged 40 and older as they navigate motherhood during the transition to menopause. Through their stories, women can share concerns they have about mothering at an older age, and the effect of perimenopausal symptoms on their mothering experiences. Nurses should offer anticipatory guidance to women who delay motherhood until midlife, provide information about the transition to menopause, and assess the older mother's level of social support. Nurses can help build capacity for support within community and professional resources, such as hospital supported mother/baby and breastfeeding support groups.
Asunto(s)
Madres/psicología , Responsabilidad Parental/psicología , Perimenopausia/psicología , Adulto , Envejecimiento/psicología , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Acontecimientos que Cambian la Vida , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Relaciones Madre-Hijo , Perimenopausia/fisiología , Conformidad Social , Deseabilidad SocialRESUMEN
AIM: This article is a report of a study exploring older first-time mothers' perceptions of health during their transition to menopause. BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of women world-wide are delaying motherhood, yet little is known about the unique phenomenon created when midlife motherhood is closely followed by the transition to menopause. A literature search revealed that the effect of these overlapping life transitions on women's health was unknown. DESIGN: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach utilizing Gadamer's philosophical underpinnings guided the study. METHOD: A purposive sample of thirteen women aged 45-56 years who were mothering children aged 12 years or younger and experiencing symptoms of perimenopause was recruited. Two in-depth interviews were conducted with each woman and meaning was mutually negotiated through participative dialogue with the women, ongoing construction and thematic analysis of data collected between 2004 and 2007. FINDINGS: The key theme 'Perimenopause as a State of Uncertainty' is an interpretation of older first-time mothers' perceptions of health during perimenopause and is the focus of this article. Hermeneutic interpretation culminated in the construct 'uncertainty' as theoretical embodiment of the women's lived experience. An uncertain temporality, projection of the lifespan and valuing health as precious enabled these women to transform uncertainty into opportunities for health promotion to 'be there' for their children. CONCLUSION: Nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives will increasingly be caring for midlife mothers and need to understand the unique issues of older mothers to offer education and health promotion that support healthy transitions to menopause.
Asunto(s)
Promoción de la Salud , Madres/psicología , Responsabilidad Parental/psicología , Perimenopausia/psicología , Incertidumbre , Adaptación Psicológica , Femenino , Humanos , Acontecimientos que Cambian la Vida , Persona de Mediana Edad , Narración , Estados UnidosAsunto(s)
Continuidad de la Atención al Paciente/organización & administración , Enfermería Geriátrica/organización & administración , Salud Holística , Enfermeras Clínicas , Rol de la Enfermera , Evaluación de la Tecnología Biomédica , Anciano , Actitud del Personal de Salud , Humanos , Enfermeras Clínicas/organización & administración , Enfermeras Clínicas/psicología , Rol de la Enfermera/psicología , Innovación OrganizacionalRESUMEN
Nurses' changing roles create controversy.