Learning the Baby: An Interpretive Study of Teen Mothers

This study examined how parenting is learned by teenage mothers, and the challenges, resources, and constraints for learning and knowing the baby. A convenience sample of 18 families, consisting of teens and their parents, were interviewed once prenatally and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 10 months postpartum. Interpretive analysis revealed four patterns in learning the baby as meaningful constellations of family and social worlds. The implications of the findings for strengthening nursing care for these families are described.