Otwartość samotnych matek na przyjęcie dziecka w okresie ciąży i okołoporodowym
Single mother’s openness for a newborn child during pregnancy and the perinatal period

Summary/Abstract: In order to become an adult, mature person who functions well in a society, a newborn human needs a long term attention and care from people loving them. A complete family constitutes an optimum environment for the process of upbringing. However, in our society there is a large group of people, mainly women, who – due to different life events – take care of their children single handedly. Conceiving a baby begins an important and difficult period in every woman’s life. During that time women undergo a number of somatic transformations and changes – in appearance, mood, emotions, relations with other people as well as changes in terms of social roles performed by them. In the situation of single motherhood pregnancy, childbirth and a postnatal period revive past conflicts and problems with people from the family of origin. The openness to accept a newborn child in mother’s life becomes a key issue of that period. In order to accomplish that, a woman needs to accept herself as a mother, her state of pregnancy and the fact of the baby’s existence. It turns out that experiencing pregnancy, childbirth and a postnatal period to a large extent depends on social support. The article raises a following issue – how the first stages of becoming a single mother – such as pregnancy and a perinatal period – can influence a single woman and her openness for a newborn baby. It also discusses the principles of accompanying a single mother in her weighty life decisions, which sometimes oscillate around the doubts whether to accept a child in her life or place him or her for adoption.

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