Lupton D, Fenwick J
School of Social Science and Liberal Studies, Charles Sturt University, Australia.
Soc Sci Med. 2001 Oct;53(8):1011-21. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(00)00396-8.
Little sociological research has sought to investigate the ways in which women with hospitalized newborn infants construct and practice motherhood. This article seeks to address this lacuna, using data from a qualitative research project based in two Australian neonatal nurseries. Thirty-one mothers of hospitalized newborns and 20 neonatal nurses were interviewed, and other data were obtained via observations of the nurseries, tape-recorded verbal interactions between parents and nursery staff and casual conversations with mothers and nurses. The data revealed that while the mothers' and nurses' discourses on what makes a 'good mother' in the context of the neonatal nursery converged to some extent, there were important differences. The mothers particularly emphasized the importance of physical contact with their infants and breastfeeding, while the nurses privileged presence in the nursery and willingness to learn about the infant's condition and treatment. There was evidence of power struggles between the mothers and nurses over the handling and treatment of the infants, which had implications for how the mothers constructed and practised motherhood. The mothers attempted to construct themselves as 'real mothers', which involved establishing connection with their infants and normalizing them. In time, many of the mothers sought to position themselves as the 'experts' on their infants. For their part, the nurses attempted to position themselves as 'teachers and monitors of the parents', 'protectors of the infants' and 'experts' by virtue of their medical training and experience. Differences in defining the situation resulted in frustration, resentment and anger on the part of the mothers and disciplinary and surveillance actions on the part of many of the nurses, both covert and overt. The nurses' attitude to and treatment of the mothers was integral in the development of the mothers' relationship with their infants in the nurseries, and this influence extended beyond discharge of the infants.
很少有社会学研究试图探究那些新生儿住院的女性构建和践行母性的方式。本文旨在填补这一空白，使用来自澳大利亚两家新生儿重症监护室的定性研究项目的数据。研究人员采访了31位新生儿住院患儿的母亲和20位新生儿护士，并通过对重症监护室的观察、家长与重症监护室工作人员之间的录音对话以及与母亲和护士的随意交谈获取了其他数据。数据显示，虽然母亲和护士在新生儿重症监护室背景下关于如何成为“好母亲”的论述在一定程度上趋于一致，但也存在重要差异。母亲们特别强调与婴儿身体接触和母乳喂养的重要性，而护士则更看重在重症监护室的陪伴以及了解婴儿病情和治疗的意愿。有证据表明，在婴儿的护理和治疗方面，母亲和护士之间存在权力斗争，这对母亲如何构建和践行母性产生了影响。母亲们试图将自己塑造为“真正的母亲”，这包括与婴儿建立联系并使其正常化。随着时间的推移，许多母亲试图将自己定位为婴儿方面的“专家”。就护士而言，她们凭借医学培训和经验，试图将自己定位为“家长的教师和监督者”、“婴儿的保护者”以及“专家”。对情况定义的差异导致母亲们感到沮丧、怨恨和愤怒，以及许多护士采取公开或隐蔽的纪律和监督行动。护士对母亲的态度和对待方式在母亲与重症监护室中婴儿的关系发展中起着不可或缺的作用，这种影响甚至在婴儿出院后仍持续存在。
