A review of the literature on the birth experience and the short term impact on the mother and child relationship

The birth of a child is a time of transition for a woman, which can increase her susceptibility and contribute to the beginning or worsening of mental health conditions. A mother’s stress and sadness may grow after the birth of a child, and the mother’s deteriorated emotional condition is connected to the mother’s sentiments about the kid and the mother-child bond.

The purpose of this study is to examine the link between mother-child contact, maternal emotional state, and mothers’ sentiments for their children.

a)     Theme 1: Mother – child relationship

b)     Theme 2: The child’s attachment to the mother

c)     Theme 3: The psychological state of the mother after childbirth

Literature review based research study

I feel that because I have picked a research project based on a literature review, I will be able to gain fresh or different ideas that I would not have thought of otherwise. Furthermore, I believe it will help me to see what strategies others have used and identify strengths and faults in these methods that may be applied to improve my research study. It also gives me confidence when I find other people’s interest in the scientific field.

·       Ainsworth, M. S. (1979). Infant–mother attachment. American psychologist, 34(10), 932.

·       Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment. Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Loss. New York: Basic Books.

·       Brake, E., Berle, D., Reilly, N. M., & Austin, M. P. (2020). The relationship between emotion dysregulation and postnatal attachment in women admitted to a mother baby unit. Australian Journal of Psychology, 72(3), 283-292.

·       Gibson, J., McKenzie‐McHarg, K., Shakespeare, J., Price, J., & Gray, R. (2009). A systematic review of studies validating the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in antepartum and postpartum women. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 119(5), 350-364.

·      Harlow, H. E. (1958). The nature of love. The American Psychologist, 13(2), 673–685.

·      Madigan, S., Wade, M., Plamondon, A., & amp; Jenkins, J. (2015). Maternal abuse history, postpartum depression, and parenting: links with preschoolers’internalizing problems. Infant Mental Health Journal, 36(2), 146-155.

·      Uvnas-Moberg, K., Handlin, L., & Petersson, M. (2015). Self-soothing behaviors with particular reference to oxytocin release induced by non-noxious sensory stimulation. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article 1529.

·      Weisberg DS, Zosh JM, Hirsh-Pasek K, Golinkoff RM. Talking it up: Play, language development, and the role of adult support. American Journal of Play. 2013;6:39–54.