First-time mothers and child care when the child is 8 months old

The aim of the present study was to examine those resources and strengths t hat mothers find helpful for coping with child care when the child was 8 mo nths old. This study is part of a more extensive longitudinal study project in which the growth into motherhood of first-time mothers was followed for 8 months postpartum. Data were collected by using structured questionnaire s between August 1995 and March 1996. The sample comprised 254 first-time m others and 248 mothers returned the questionnaires by mail. The multivariat e method used was a stepwise regression analysis. Predictors included in th e multivariate method to explain coping with child care were as follows: th e mother's competence, mother's attachment to the child, mother's self-conc ept, relation to the spouse, breastfeeding, decision-making support from th e public health nurse and activity of the child. The strongest predictor wa s competence as a mother. The more competent the mother felt and the more a ttached the mother was to her child, the better her coping. The better the mother's self-concept and relationship with the spouse were, the better she succeeded in taking care of the child. If the mother still breastfed her c hild and received decision-making support from public health nurses, she co ped better in child care. Finally the more active the child was, the more t he risk for unsuccessful child care increased. The results indicate that th e first-time mother's successful coping with child care when the child is 8 months old is associated with her own resources and attachment to the chil d as well as activity of the child and breastfeeding. A good relationship b etween the spouses and support for decision making from the public health n urse also contribute to coping with child care.