New program gets parents thinking about how to share the load of a new baby
Media Release, Monday 5 May 2008
University of Melbourne researchers are urging all new parents to sit down and re-negotiate how they share household tasks early in their babies’ lives in a bid to protect the health of new mums.
Associate Professor Jane Fisher and Dr Heather Rowe, from the Key Centre for Women’s Health in Society, say new parents can avoid many common parenting difficulties if they sit down and plan together.
Associate Professor Fisher and Dr Rowe have developed a new on-line parenting program whatwerewethinking.org.au – which targets both mothers and fathers in the very early weeks of their new baby’s life.
It focuses on infant crying and the sharing of household duties – two of the most common difficulties for parents – in an attempt to troubleshoot potential problems before they arise.
The program is based on Associate Professor Fisher and Dr Rowe’s research conducted in the community and at residential early parenting centres, sometimes called sleep schools, which highlighted these gaps in advice for parents about adjustment to life with a new baby.
It builds on the success of PEPP (PsychoEducational Program for Parents) - a face-to-face seminar program also developed by Associate Professor Fisher and Dr Rowe - which has been conducted with 200 couples with a first baby at maternal child health centres around Victoria.
The What Were We Thinking website features:
Worksheets where new parents can compare the amount of time they spend on household tasks and infant care;
Worksheets where parents can compare their expectations from before birth with the realities of caring for a newborn;
Videos showing how to settle crying babies and put them to sleep in their cots;
Advice on how to negotiate workload without criticising each other.
“As Mother’s Day approaches, one of the greatest gifts for a new mum is having a partner who will sit down with her and work out together how they are going to tackle caring for the baby and their work as parents,’’ Associate Professor Fisher says.
Associate Professor Fisher says persistently crying babies are a great source of distress for mothers and fathers – but most new parents report they have never been shown in a practical way how to settle a crying baby.
“Research shows that having an encouraging partner who participates actively in infant care and shares household duties is one of the most important factors in protecting the health of a new mother,’’ she says.
“Yet a recent study showed that new dads have more than double the amount of leisure time than mothers in the early months of a new baby’s life.”
Dr Rowe said many new fathers wanted to help with the care of new babies but because they were often not included in parenting programs they feel they don’t have the knowledge and skills they need.
“Many men don’t feel confident with baby care because often parenting classes are for women only, and expect them to pass the information on to their partner,’’ she says.
“We are encouraging parents to get together early in a baby’s life and develop a system of sharing the load which works for them.
“What is an appropriate arrangement will be different for every family but it is important that work can be shared in a way that feels fair to both partners.”
Associate Professor Fisher says parents also needed to learn not to criticise each other’s efforts.
“Research shows that criticism has a toxic effect on a new mothers’ psychological wellbeing and also discourages men from playing a more active role with their new babies,’’ she said.
“We hope that these by giving both parents information and new skills early in their new child’s life, we can prevent conflict from developing.”
The What Were We Thinking website was developed by Associate Professor Fisher and Dr Rowe with support from the Australian Government's Early Childhood Invest to Grow program, and the Jack Brockhoff Foundation. It was developed in collaboration with Melbourne interactive media designer Penny Harris of PenPen Productions.
Visit the WhatWereWeThinking website at www.whatwerewethinking.org.au
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