Achieving a new balance: women's transition to second-time parenthood

To describe the experience of transition to second-time parenthood from the mother's perspective.

Descriptive phenomenology using Colaizzi's approach.

Participants were interviewed in their homes.

Ten second-time mothers with a second child between the ages of 6 months and 24 months.

The birth of the second child motivated these women to seek and achieve a new balance to integrate a second child into the existing family. Seven themes emerged as common elements in all of the women's lives: (a) balancing the positive and negative elements of the early weeks, (b) knowing what to expect, (c) establishing a new routine, (d) maintaining the marital relationship, (e) taking a break, (f) seeking out support, and (g) nurturing relationships among family members.

Mothers overwhelmingly found the addition of a second child to the family to be a positive experience regardless of the effort it took to accommodate their lives to the needs of two children. Although second-time mothers approach the experience with a wealth of knowledge, this research highlights that these women may have concerns that are not addressed. The nurse can focus assessments and offer interventions to meet the needs of these women as they become mothers for the second time.