Marginalised Caregivers: A Qualitative Study of Grandmothers in Postpartum and Infant Care

To explore grandmothers' experiences of sharing postpartum childcare responsibilities with their adult children as intergenerational co-parenting relationships are formed and adjusted.

This is a descriptive qualitative study.

Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews from May to June 2019. A purposive sample was recruited from a tertiary maternal and child health hospital in Shenzhen, China. Data were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.

Sixteen grandmothers involved in postpartum and infant care were interviewed. Six themes were identified: (1) motivations for sharing parenting responsibilities; (2) navigating parenting differences; (3) roles of grandparents in childcare; (4) positive health impacts for grandmothers; (5) health challenges for grandmothers and (6) grandmothers' needs for parenting guidance.

Grandmothers are active but often marginalised contributors to postpartum intergenerational co-parenting. Their caregiving roles are shaped by family obligation, parenting disagreements, shifting family authority and unmet needs for professional guidance. Family-centred postpartum interventions should include grandmothers as important members in the co-parenting system.

In intergenerational co-parenting families, grandmothers may experience both rewards and vulnerabilities as they provide postpartum and infant care. Nurses, midwives and community health professionals should recognise grandmothers as key caregiving partners and provide them with family-centred guidance on intergenerational communication, role negotiation, infant-care knowledge and caregiver well-being.

Sixteen grandmothers shared their co-parenting experiences through interviews and provided feedbacks on transcript summaries and preliminary interpretations.

This study was reported according to the SRQR and COREQ checklists.

What problem did the study address? While grandmothers frequently provide care for postpartum mothers and infants in three-generation households, their lived experiences, unmet needs and roles within co-parenting dynamics remain understudied. What were the main findings? Grandmothers primarily provided care due to a sense of family obligation and reciprocity. They commonly acted as supporters and mediators, resolving parenting conflicts with their adult children. Additionally, they encountered both positive and adverse effects on their health, and voiced demands for accessible, practical and professionally delivered parenting support. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? This study yields meaningful impacts for multiple stakeholders and practice settings. The findings can guide postpartum nursing care, family-centred maternal and child health services, and community health initiatives. They also offer evidence for developing targeted interventions for families with shared caregiving from grandparents.