Abstract:
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.
