HORMONAL AND EXPERIENTIAL CORRELATES OF MATERNAL RESPONSIVENESS DURING PREGNANCY AND THE PUERPERIUM IN HUMAN MOTHERS

Two studies were undertaken (1) to determine whether human mothers und ergo a change in maternal responsiveness during pregnancy before the b irth of the baby, as shown for other mammalian species, and (2) to est ablish whether a relation exists between changes in maternal feelings and attitudes and changes in hormones. In both studies prospective fir st-time mothers completed an extensive set of questionnaires, covering a broad range of issues, including a set of 76- to 100-item likert sc ales concerning attitudes toward infants, childbirth, pregnancy, caret aking, and other interpersonal relationships. In the first cross-secti onal study, mothers completed the questionnaires at one of seven time points, ranging from prior to pregnancy to 3 months postpartum. In the longitudinal study, questionnaires were completed repeatedly througho ut this same time period. In addition, blood was taken at these same t ime points and assayed by RIA for plasma concentrations of the steroid s, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol. The primary fi ndings are (1) feelings of nurturance grow during pregnancy and from p regnancy to postpartum; in the cross-sectional study, for most of the factors relating to infants or mothering, pregnancy and postpartum res ponses were more positive than prepregnancy responses; in the longitud inal study, many of these factors also showed elevations across pregna ncy itself, as well as further elevations with the birth of the infant . (2) Pregnancy hormones were not related to the growth of attachment to the infant across pregnancy. (3) However, the pattern of change in the ratio of estradiol to progesterone from early to late pregnancy wa s related to postpartum attachment feelings. (4) Finally, hormonal cor relates of attachment feelings may reflect effects both on feelings of nurturance directly and, indirectly, on mothers' feelings of well-bei ng. (C) 1997 Academic Press.