Article type: Original Research
1 September 2014
Volume 39 Issue 3
Article type: Original Research
1 September 2014
Volume 39 Issue 3
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Parents’ Experiences of Early Parenthood – Preliminary Findings
Rachael Sanders1 * 
Jennifer Lehmann1
Fiona Gardner1
Affiliations
1 La Trobe Rural Health School, Bendigo, Victoria 3552, La Trobe University, Australia
Correspondence
* Rachael Sanders
Contributions
Rachael Sanders -
Jennifer Lehmann -
Fiona Gardner -
Rachael Sanders1 *
Jennifer Lehmann1
Fiona Gardner1
Affiliations
1 La Trobe Rural Health School, Bendigo, Victoria 3552, La Trobe University, Australia
Correspondence
* Rachael Sanders
CITATION: Sanders R., Lehmann J., & Gardner F. (2014). Parents’ Experiences of Early Parenthood – Preliminary Findings. Children Australia, 39(3), 1926. doi.org/10.1017/cha.2014.20
Abstract
Parents are instrumental in the healthy development of their children, and consequently future generations, and should therefore be supported in their parental role. Using a Grounded Theory framework, 24 parents of 0- to 10-year-olds were interviewed about their experiences and preparation for parenthood. Despite their overall satisfaction, many felt underprepared, unsure, alone and inadequate during their transition to parenthood. Most of them felt like they struggled unnecessarily during the first year of parenthood, commenting on changes that would help support new parents. This paper reports the preliminary findings of the study.