title: Baby lost and found: mothers' experiences of infants who cry persistently.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to describe mothers' experiences of parenting an irritable infant. Although "colic" is regarded as a "self-limiting" condition that usually disappears by 3 to 4 months of age, the entire family is affected by the infant's crying; no definitive cause or cure has been identified.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve middle-class married mothers (mean age=27.6 years) of irritable infants were interviewed. The women responded to open-ended questions, beginning with a description of the "typical day" with the infant. All interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim, and entered into the AtlasTi qualitative analysis program. Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the data. Transcripts were read repeatedly to verify coding and emerging concepts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The basic social psychological problem was the loss of the perceived baby and competence as a mother. The psychosocial process was the search for the baby and sense of self as mother. Processes involved cycles of hope and despair and trial and error as mothers became more isolated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implications for practitioners include support and listening to mothers during this difficult period.
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, Omaha, NE 68198-5330, USA. mmegel@unmc.edu
authors.forename: Mary Erickson
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Megel
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Towne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D057179:Advanced Practice Nursing / Q000379:methods; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003085:Colic / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003448:Crying / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D055815:Young Adult