New mothers have the most questions after babies turn 5 months

November 2, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

New mothers seem to be the most anxious about their baby 5 months and 1 week after giving birth finds new research.

Giving birth and raising a newborn can be both a time full of joy and a time rife with chaos. For first-time mothers, this may especially be so.

New research by the NHS has revealed that the most tumultuous time for first-time mothers was around five months and one week into their child’s development. The research, gathered to help support the NHS Baby LifeCheck Web site, found that four out of every five mothers believed that the needs of their babies quickly changed between five and eight months of age.

Typically around this time period, the number of visits from family and friends tends to decline, and first-time mothers begin to feel more isolated and anxious about their babies’ needs. The number of concerns increases, and with fewer people to turn to, the mother may begin to feel like she has no place to go for answers.

“Everyone is so excited about the baby at first, but five months in when you’ve got more questions than ever because they’re doing all these new things, interest in you and the baby really dies down,” said Kayleigh Pillington, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, who gave birth to son Logan-Rhys six months ago.

“That’s when I started to feel anxious—it was all on my shoulders and I just wasn’t sure if I was doing it right.”

Additionally, the researchers found that in the same time period of five to eight months, 54 percent of new mothers thought that their partner was less able to be around and assist them, 30 percent felt they had no free time to themselves, and 20 percent came the realization that the task of caring for a baby is “repetitive and mundane”.

Armed with this data, the NHS says that it can better aid new mothers who feel like they have no place to turn to for answers.

“Parents are given essential support and advice in the first few months of their baby’s life,” said Nicola Stenning, a health visitor from London.

“But the next stage is also a key time in their child’s development and can be a difficult time especially for first-time parents. It is important that information and advice is easily accessible, which is why NHS Baby LifeCheck was developed.”

“It particularly focuses on providing support for parents of five- to eight-month-old babies between scheduled visits from health professionals, and it is a key time in their development. By guiding parents through some simple questions, we can then offer advice and reassurance on making the best decisions for their child without being judgmental.”

For more information about NHS Baby LifeCheck and the services provided, visit their website.