RAMONA MERCERS THEORY OF MATERNAL ROLE ATTAINMENT

Provide appropriate health care intervention for nontraditional mothers Assist nontraditional mothers to attain a strong maternal identity

MATERNAL ROLE ATTAINMENT

Primary Concept developmental and interactional process occurs over a period of time Mother bonds with infant, acquires competence in care taking tasks, enjoys and expresses joy and pleasure in the role Maternal identity personal state of harmony, confidence and competence. End point of maternal role attainment

4 STAGES OF ACQUISITION 1. Anticipatory: Social and psychological adaptation to role; learning expectations Fantasizes about the role. What to expect when you are expecting?

2. Formal: Assumption of role at birth; behaviors are guided by others in social system/network. My mother always told me

 3. Informal: Mother develops own ways of mothering; not conveyed by social system.

4. Personal: Joy of motherhood; harmony, confidence, and competence in maternal role. Im ready to have another one.

Rubins Theory of Maternal Role Attainment

From onset to its destination, childbearing requires an exchange of a known self in a known world for an unknown self in an unknown world. Reva Rubin

Development of Maternal Identity

-The achievement of a firm concept or identity of oneself as a mother, in the sense that she is comfortable in the role, occurs considerably later than the birth of the child -Maternal identity development is the womans efforts aimed at becoming a mother

The Process of Maternal Role Taking

1. Mimicry - woman searches the environment and her memory for other people who are or have been in the role she is working to attain, and then examines their behavior and imitates them

2. Role play - acting out what a person in the sought role actually does in particular situations. - the earliest form of role behavior

3. Fantasy - involves cognitively trying varieties of possible role situations - occurs by way of fears, dreams, and daydreams

4. . Introjection-projectionrejection/acceptance (IPR/A)

takes in the behavior of others (introjection), and examines if it fits her own role expectations; imagines herself performing in that way (projection) and makes a judgment about the behavior. If the fit is good, the behavior is accepted.

5. Grief work - giving up elements of the former self which would be in conflict with the new role

Maternal Tasks
1. Seeking safe passage for self and baby - first trimester - pregnancy care; second trimester - for baby care; third trimester - for delivery care.

2. Securing acceptance
- condition necessary to produce and sustain the energy for all the other tasks - reworking of psychologic, social and physical space within the family to make a place for the coming child

3. Learning to give of self

- inherent and pervasive part of being a mother, during both childbearing or childrearing - give to the child voluntarily on a day-to-day basis in order for the child to survive

4. Binding-in to the unknown baby process of attachment and interconnection with the infant that begins in the prenatal period. - has two halves: binding-in to the infant and binding-in to self as mother of the infant
- dynamic

BEHAVIORS EXPECTANT MOTHERS

GRIEF NARCISSISM INTROVERSION vs. EXTROVERSION BODY IMAGE AND BOUNDARY STRESS AMBIVALENCE FEAR AND ANXIETY UNCERTAINTY

NEEDS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS

Refer to slides on prenatal care

MOTHERING ROLE
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUSBAND QUEEN OF THE HOME NURTURER COUNSELOR MOLDER OF CHARACTER EDUCATOR TRAINER NURSE ROLE MODEL

FATHERING ROLE
HOUSEBAND HEAD OF FAMILY FIRM SPIRITUAL LEADER (PRIEST) TRAINER SUPPORTER COUNSELOR LAWMAKER ROLE-MODEL PROVIDER PROTECTOR COMPANION TO WIFE AND CHILDREN