South Coast Mums 'Struggling To Cope'

10 June 2013, 08:41

New mums across Hampshire and Dorset are struggling, according to new research.

A study of 2,000 mothers has been carried out by Colief, a pharmaceuticals company that make medicines for kids.

They found that a third in the two counties are embarrassed or ashamed about how they're coping, while nearly two thirds (60%) are pretending to the outside world that things are better than they really are at home.
 
They say worryingly, despite crying being the most natural thing for a baby to do, a third said it made them feel like a bad mother, whilst 4 in 10 admitted to feeling powerless.
 
Parenting psychologist Alison Knights says the reason a young baby cries is simple:

"Simply, it's a communication saying 'I'm not feeling very well at the moment' or 'I don't know how to manage the demands of this world I've been catapulted into, and I just need you to be with me and help me calm down again'."

She says the constant crying phase doesn't last too long:

"The crying usually gets worse round about 3 weeks, when increased crying happens. It peaks at around 6-8 weeks and usually by 12-14 weeks it has subsided and gone away."