Abstract
Adverse experiences during and after pregnancy, together with information given by doctors, may lead mothers to perceive their premature baoies as “difficult”. 32 mothers were told that their infants were likely to develop cerebral palsy (CP), and half were randomly assigned to physiotherapy before developing motor abnormalities. Mothers of 41 matched infants without brain abnormality were told that their children's outcome was likely to be normal. At 6 weeks post-term a mother's feelings about her pregnancy and perinatal period were assessed. A standard Malaise Inventory and Bates's Infant Temperament Questionnaire were also completed.
8 mothers from each group regarded their babies as “difficult”. This was not associated with obstetric complications, the birth, postnatal events or the infant's prognosis but was associated with the mother's current mental health (p<0.05). Early introduction of physiotherapy for infants at high risk of CP was associated with the infant being perceived to be easier than average (8/16 v 1/16, p=0.008).
A mother's perception of her child was adversely affected by depression, but improved by the early involvement of a supportive professional.
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Weindling, M., Lambrenos, K., Cox, A. et al. 60 WHAT INFLUENCES A MOTHER'S PERCEPTION OF HER BABY?. Pediatr Res 30, 638 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199112000-00090
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199112000-00090