title: Obtaining confirmation through social relationships: Norwegian first-time mothers' experiences while on maternity leave.
abstract: The social relationships of employed women on maternity leave undergo significant changes. The aim of the study was to illuminate first-time mothers' experiences of social relationships while on maternity leave. Nine mothers were interviewed at both 3-5 months and 11-14 months post-partum and the data were analyzed by means of interpretative analysis. The main theme of obtaining confirmation through social relationships was based on two themes (being confirmed by other mothers and balancing between being a mother and an employee) and on four subthemes (seeking company, sharing experiences, feeling ineffective and in a state of stagnation, and trying to handle contact with the workplace). In order to strengthen the social relationships of mothers, the mother-child health service should offer all mothers the opportunity to join a peer support group, while employers could keep in regular contact with staff members on maternity leave.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stavanger, N-4036 Stavanger, Norway. marit.alstveit@uis.no
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alstveit
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Severinsson
authors.forename: Bjørg
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karlsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D009664:Norway; D016524:Parental Leave; D010298:Parity; D010379:Peer Group; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000458:organization & administration