Philippine E-Journals

Newborn Care Practices and Social Support for Teenage Mothers in an Urban Lying-in and Maternity Clinic in Iloilo City

Ma. Paz Bibal | Merry Mae Cabale | Lance Tyrone Dechavez | Fergie Rose Lamprea | Louie P. Hijalda

 

Abstract:

This study aimed to explore and describe the newborn care practices and social support for teenage mothers in Iloilo City. Adolescent pregnancies were of concern worldwide and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year there were approximately 15 million pregnancies in young women aged between 15 and 19 years. (Pillay, et al., 2017). In the Philippines, data from the National Demographic and Health Survey (2017) showed that 9% of women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing in Western Visayas. Teenage pregnancies had long-term consequences on the health status of the mother and the child, as well as broader impacts on their social and economic status. Evidence suggested that teenage mothers were more likely to have poor care practices and they have a greater need for support in childcare and upbringing. This study used a qualitative-descriptive approach which utilized a researcher made guide questionnaire that was framed and validated by experts. The participants were 10 teenage mothers aged at least 16 – 19 years old, single, indigent, physically and mentally fit, their newborns must be firstborn, and they have given birth in an urban Lying-In and Maternity Clinic in Iloilo City from January 2019-June 2019. Since the participants were minors, they needed to seek their parents’ approval. Those teenage mothers with traumatic experiences who had a history of stillbirth and abortion to name a few, were not included. This study utilized researcher-made guide questions framed and validated by a pediatrician, an expert in maternal and child health, and a social worker from the DSWD. To confirm the study’s rigor and trustworthiness, the criteria of Lincoln and Guba were used for validation. To describe the newborn care practices and social support for teenage mothers, the Collaizi Methodology Interpretation was used to analyze the data. Almost all the participants understood the importance of providing warmth to their newborns. They all let their newborns wear clothing suitable to the weather condition. They all performed good and ideal cord care practices; thus, possible complications were eliminated early. They were also well-equipped when it comes to their feeding practices and in giving the essential needs of their newborn. All of them provide good bath time to their newborns by checking the temperature of the water first and using mild soaps based on what was recommended by their social support. All of them knew how to handle their newborns when they cry. They all received support from their parents, health care providers and LGU’s which they claimed was very beneficial in rearing and providing proper care to their newborns. On the other hand, all of them were non-recipients of help from any NGO’s.Almost all the participants perform proper newborn practices based on what they observed and what was recommended by their social support. Thus, if a teenage mother has good social support, she can have better newborn care practices. Strengthening linkages in NGO’s, educating and training teenage mothers in order to promote independence, and enhancing their skills in up-to-date ways of newborn care.