“Because of the Lords great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” – Lamentations 3:22 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 4:7
How it Started
Before starting the capstone project, I conducted a needs assessment to identify what areas care for parents was lacking.
One common standard of the U.S. through biomedical literature is that postpartum is considered to take six to eight weeks of recovery. Research is suggesting a more accurate time frame of nine months to a year (Kanotra et al., 2007; Gjerdingen et al., 1993, P. 283; & Fahey et al., 2013). Health promotion literature states that the health of women can and should be optimized over the continuum of the first year while raising an infant (Fahey & Shenassa, 2013). Because of this high prevalence of unaddressed health concerns, the postpartum period has been referred to as a time of “hidden morbidity” (Fahey et al., 2013, p. 616).
My Research
I continued learning about the needs of parents by conducting a full review of the literature. A process that spanned the entire 16 weeks and resulted in over 60+ references.
Fahey & Shenassa (2013) state, There is potential for the long-term impact of neglected maternal health problems, which are positively linked to negative outcomes for the family unit and child development. Examples are latent household health decline, discontinuation of breastfeeding early, the increased risk for negative parental perception of infant, delayed child language development, increased behavioral problems, & compromised parental-child attachment.
Five percent to 10% of men will experience postpartum depression (PPD) and 10% to 20% of women will also exhibit PPD symptoms. (Cohen et al., 2019)
When fathers spend time with their kids, they are likely to experience an increased sense of social connectedness, greater role satisfaction, and confidence in their role. They will experience a greater sense of autonomy and increased happiness. Fathers are less likely to exhibit signs of depression when they engage with their children. This involvement has strong benefits for the child. Flanders et al., discusses other mental health benefits passed onto children from father interactions are decreased sense of anxiety or other mental health conditions (even when engaging in intimidating and novel events), increased abilities in controlling impulsivity, planning and memory, and problem-solving abilities. (Nelson-Coffey et al., 2019); (Flanders et al., 2010); & (Möller et al., 2016)
Mentors
Dr. Sara Best served as my faculty mentor throughout my doctoral capstone. Dr. Best was an instrumental aid in completing the parenting guide, sharing her professional knowledge and skill in scholarly writing and organization. Dr. Best managed many roles in addition to being my faculty mentor. Her examples to me included applying clinical reasoning skills to determine what information was of most importance to the target population of parents, and developing professionalism by balancing tasks and responsibilities.
Dr. Sarah Monvillers was my expert mentor throughout the capstone process. She is a practicing occupational therapist in the school setting. She is also a Huntington University alum of three years. Sarah is the owner of Nurtured Family Wellness, LLC. Some of her other accomplishments include the creation of postpartum success plans and being a published co-author of the article "Pelvic Floor Dysfunction After Childbirth: Occupational Impact and Awareness of Available Treatments". Our shared passion for enhancing wellness for families throughout the postpartum period made working with and learning from her, such a joy!
My Accomplishments
• Completed the guide to parenting resources for the postpartum period to enhance the self-efficacy, well-being, and confidence of parents in fulfilling their roles and routines.
• Outlined numerous resources easily accessible to parents both practical and scholarly. Hyperlinks were included where appropriate or needed.
• Provided 60+ references within the guide, proving that the content within is evidence-based and peer reviewed. Any practical references had at least one to two scholarly articles to further support the information being shared.
• Expanded my research abilities, further developing myself professionally and scholarly.
• Conducted several meetings and discussions with professionals and organizations whether to obtain information or approval to use information, furthering my professional experience.
• Expanded my abilities to apply the occupational therapy process to support, advocate, and intervene within the underserved population of parents.
• Made a website, YouTube page, and other sustainable resources.
My impact
Creating this guide to parenting resources was my way of attempting to advocate for the population of parents, provide support, and start to make a change in the medical community by utilizing my skills and understanding of the occupational therapy process.
My Future
I hope to work in the inpatient rehabilitation setting, as well as in outpatient pediatrics. My level two fieldwork experience truly made an impact on how I hope to serve the community and families in the future. I plan to remain in Fort Wayne to start my career and I'm very excited to see what opportunities come my way.
Contact Information-
angelamikalauski5@gmail.com
References
Cohen, M. J., Pentel, K. Z., Boeding, S. E., & Baucom, D. H. (2019). Postpartum role satisfaction in couples: Associations with individual and relationship well-being. Journal of Family Issues, 40(9), 1181-1200.
Fahey, J. O., & Shenassa, E. ( 2013, December). Understanding and meeting the needs of women in the postpartum period: The perinatal maternal health promotion model. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 58(6), 613-621. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.12139.
Flanders, J. L., Simard, M., Paquette, D., Parent, S., Vitaro, F., Pihl, R. O., & Séguin, J. R. (2010). Rough-and-tumble play and the development of physical aggression and emotion regulation: A five-year follow-up study. Journal of Family Violence, 25, 357–367. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-05206-001
Gjerdingen, D. K., Froberg, D. G., Chaloner, K. M., & McGovern, P. M. (1993, March). Original Contribution: Changes in women’s physical health during the first postpartum year. Archives of Family Medicine, 2(3), 277-283. https://clockss.org/triggered-content/archives-of-family-medicine/
Möller, E. L., Nikolić, M., Majdandžić, M., & Bögels, S. M. (2016). Associations between maternal and paternal parenting behaviors, anxiety and its precursors in early childhood: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 45, 117-33. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735816300836
Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Killingsworth, M., Layous, K., Cole, S. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). Parenthood is associated with greater well-being for fathers than mothers. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(9), 1378-1390. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219829174
Credits:
Created with images by Cultura Allies - "Man on sofa brushing daughter's hair for princess tiara" • Jacob Lund - "Father babysitting his kids at home"