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Abstract:
Ramona T. Mercer spent much of her nursing career exploring the complex phenomenon of becoming a mother. She believed this was a process which could be influenced by several extrinsic factors and that ultimately resulted in both maternal competence and confidence. Mercer acknowledged that this complex progression occurred over months or years and that the process is both individualized and unique to the mother and child experiencing it. Strong evidence suggests that early skin-to-skin contact between mother and child, promotion of early breastfeeding, and minimization of time apart positively influences the bonding process, decreases maternal anxiety, and contributes to successful attainment of maternal role. Her observations and nursing theory on Maternal Role Attainment/Becoming a Mother can be credited for many of the current changes being implemented in maternity nursing today.
Keywords: maternal role, maternal, child, bonding
For those healthcare professionals fortunate enough to witness the miracle of birth, we have the incredible opportunity to see firsthand a new life being born. We give witness to an infant's first breath and the emotions of family members as their lives are changed. We watch someone become a mother. With this comes opportunity to provide valuable patient education and emotional support that will help ease the mind of the family during this exciting yet overwhelming time.
Society defines motherhood as the act of becoming a female parent, but this duty is much more elaborate than a simple definition implies. Ramona T. Mercer (1985) spent most of her nursing career working in labor and delivery, postpartum, and newborn nurseries of hospitals around the country and became intrigued with the transition from physically giving birth to attaining the maternal role. Mercer (1985) viewed this phenomenon as a process "in which the mother achieves competence in the role and integrates the mothering behaviors into her established role set so that she is comfortable with her identity as a mother" (p. 198). Mercer realized that simply delivering a child does not necessarily make a mother, but several variables that occur after birth play a large role in this complex process, and these variables can affect the bond between a mother and her child.
Before delving into the complex subject of maternal-role attainment it helps to first understand why nursing theory...