title: Responding to a crying infant - you do not learn it overnight: a phenomenological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to examine the views and practices of first-time and experienced mothers in response to infant crying during the first 12 weeks post birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  longitudinal, qualitative study using an interpretive, phenomenological approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  postnatal hospital and home settings in Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  maximum variation sampling of 15 new mothers of diverse parity and educational background who had given birth to a full-term healthy neonate.
  
  
  METHODS
  participant observations in the postnatal ward and two narrative interviews at participants' homes at 6-8 and 12-14 weeks post partum. Data analysis used interpretive approaches of case analysis, thematic analysis and exemplars.
  
  
  RESULTS
  first-time mothers showed some soothing skills from the beginning, but fine-tuned their practices of handling the crying infant and managing their own reactions. With growing experience mothers acquired a differentiated understanding of the crying's reason and urgency and used more successful soothing techniques. At the same time they learned to assess and mitigate their own stress reactions by self-soothing and adopting realistic expectations of normal infant behaviour. Experienced mothers knew the infant's frequent crying would diminish after a while whereas first-time mothers coped without this positive expectation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  with increasing child-care experience mothers' skills and attitudes towards crying changed, leading to a calmer and less escalating response to their crying infant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  inexperienced mothers need information on neonatal crying behaviour and on parents' stress response. They should be taught how to recognise and respond to the new-born's signals, and how to cope with their own stress. Postnatal care should provide novice mothers to learn from experienced role models.
authors: Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Midwifery, Technikumstr. 71, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland; University of Basel, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistr. 28, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, P.O. Box, 4002 Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: elisabeth.kurth@zhaw.ch.
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Kurth
authors: Yale University School of Nursing, 100 Church Street South, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.
authors: Holly Powell
authors: HP
authors: Kennedy
authors: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, P.O. Box, 4002 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Zemp Stutz
authors: University of Basel, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistr. 28, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Annemarie
authors: A
authors: Kesselring
authors: University Hospital, Women's Clinic, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Isabel
authors: I
authors: Fornaro
authors: University of Basel, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistr. 28, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Spichiger
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003448:Crying / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D008880:Midwifery; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D013557:Switzerland
keywords: Infant crying; Parenting; Postnatal care; Qualitative research