JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Research suggests expectant and new mothers consult and value information gathered from digital technologies, like pregnancy-specific mobile apps and social media platforms, to support their transition to parenting. Notably, this transitional context can be rich with profound physiological, psychological, and emotional fluctuation for women as they cope with the demands of new parenting and navigate cultural expectations of 'good motherhood.' Given the ways in which digital technologies can both support and hinder women's perception of their parenting abilities, understanding expectant and new mothers' experiences using digital technologies and the tensions which may arise from such use during the transition to parenting context warrants nuanced exploration.

Objective:

This study aimed to understand mothers’ use of digital technologies within the transition to parenting context.

Methods:

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in a predominantly urban region of Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were implemented to recruit participants who had become a parent within the previous 24 months. Researchers conducted focus groups using a semi-structured interview guide with 26 women. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed.

Results:

Participants’ experiences of using digital technologies within the transition to parenting context were captured within the overarching theme: “Balancing the tensions of digital technology use in the transition to parenting” and four subthemes: 1) Self-comparison on social media; 2) Second guessing parenting practices; 3) Communities of support; and 4) Trusting intuition over technology. Although digital technologies purportedly offered ‘in-the-moment’ access to community support and health information, this came at a cost to mothers as they described feelings of guilt, shame, and self-doubt which provoked them to question and hold in contention whether they were a ‘good mother’ and using technology in a morally upright manner.

Conclusions:

These findings raise critical questions concerning the promotion and commercialization of digital technologies and the ways they can further push the boundaries of hegemonic parenting practices, provoke feelings of inadequacy, and compromise wellbeing among expectant and new mothers.