The Postpartum Period is a Tumultuous Time that often Brings About Changes to the Psychological, Social, And Interpersonal Aspects of a New Mother’S Identity
Abstract
The postpartum period is a tumultuous time that often brings about changes to the psychological, social, and interpersonal aspects of a new mother’s identity. Additionally, existing literature has revealed the potential for the creative arts—namely visual art and creative movement—to provide a space for individuals to explore their identities. This study aimed to examine 1) how mothers describe their postpartum identities and 2) how creative arts workshops can support an exploration into a mother’s postpartum experience. Participants were postpartum women, without mental or physical health concerns. They participated in four, 90-minute creative arts workshops. Each workshop consisted of a visual art prompt and creative movement prompt for participants to explore, as well time for discussion about the art-making processes. Data included researcher observations, participant artwork, and participant reflective responses. Four distinct themes emerged through data analysis: Mother/Baby as a Unit, Routine, Body Size, and Reflections on Motherhood. The emergence of these themes reflected significant aspects of the participants’ postpartum identities, including feelings that their babies were an extension of themselves, the presence (or lack) of a daily routine in the postpartum period, and feelings related to body size. The data revealed that creative arts workshops provided participants with time and space to reflect on - and bring new meaning to- their postpartum experience. Future research might build upon these findings to see how creative arts might be expanded to support women in the post-partum period
Status
Undergraduate
Department
Dance
College
Honors Tutorial College
Campus
Athens
Faculty Mentor
Camper Moore, Christine
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
The Postpartum Period is a Tumultuous Time that often Brings About Changes to the Psychological, Social, And Interpersonal Aspects of a New Mother’S Identity
The postpartum period is a tumultuous time that often brings about changes to the psychological, social, and interpersonal aspects of a new mother’s identity. Additionally, existing literature has revealed the potential for the creative arts—namely visual art and creative movement—to provide a space for individuals to explore their identities. This study aimed to examine 1) how mothers describe their postpartum identities and 2) how creative arts workshops can support an exploration into a mother’s postpartum experience. Participants were postpartum women, without mental or physical health concerns. They participated in four, 90-minute creative arts workshops. Each workshop consisted of a visual art prompt and creative movement prompt for participants to explore, as well time for discussion about the art-making processes. Data included researcher observations, participant artwork, and participant reflective responses. Four distinct themes emerged through data analysis: Mother/Baby as a Unit, Routine, Body Size, and Reflections on Motherhood. The emergence of these themes reflected significant aspects of the participants’ postpartum identities, including feelings that their babies were an extension of themselves, the presence (or lack) of a daily routine in the postpartum period, and feelings related to body size. The data revealed that creative arts workshops provided participants with time and space to reflect on - and bring new meaning to- their postpartum experience. Future research might build upon these findings to see how creative arts might be expanded to support women in the post-partum period