Theme Summary
Mothers faced high levels of adversity, stress, and rejection. Unplanned pregnancies often exacerbated mothers’ delicate balance of resources and support. Providers recognized mothers’ difficult past and current situations. They viewed maternity homes as key opportunities to support mothers at critical times in their lives; they also recognized the difficulties in serving mothers with such complex, difficult histories. Theme 2: Tension Between Useful Programs and Structured Delivery Provided Programs
Together, mothers had experiences in 11 maternity homes. Across programs, providers focused on teaching a variety of life skills mothers needed to care for themselves and their child(ren). Despite living in various homes, most mothers reported receiving a range of core services including independent living skills, parenting skills, educational assistance, counseling or therapy, and medical care coordination. In addition, the vast majority of mothers expressed that they had access to transportation for medical appointments and weekly shopping trips as well as the necessities for their babies (e.g., diaper, wipes, clothing). Mothers valued programs and services that focused on meeting their basic needs in the present (e.g., diapers) and the future (e.g., financial literacy), and they benefited from the security of having their needs met. For example, one mother reflected on her maternity home experience as a “fake world” because “you're not stressing about the bills, you're not stressing about how can I feed the kids.” (Mother D, 25-yearold living as sole provider in an apartment). Mothers typically found programs, such as parenting, independent living, or nutrition classes “useful, but demanding,” and they often expressed that their appreciation increased over time. One mother’s explanation of how she first questioned the need for services and later found them useful exemplifies a common sentiment among mothers: [W]hen I was in the maternity home they implemented different classes as far as parenting skills go, parent and child nutrition, life skills, stuff like that. In the beginning I thought, "Hey, why am I doing this? This is something dumb. I shouldn't have to learn this. I know this." But in reality, once I had [my child] I was like, "Whoa, okay, these things that I was learning are actually useful." (Mother A, 20-year-old living with family) Reflections such as these are consistent with providers’ aims to give mothers tools to prepare them for the future. One provider explained: “…they're teenagers. They are, a lot of them, are parenting as well. And so, whatever we teach them, or we help them understand the goal is that they can implement something similar with their own kids down the line. And, we very rarely get to see the benefits of all that, but we know that we're planting that seed.” (Home D, Participant 1) Another provider highlighted the discrepancies between her aspirations for mothers in achieving their full potential and mothers’ receptivity to services: …I know that they can achieve so much more [than they currently are]. So it's like I'm constantly providing services and it's like, “Are you really taking advantage of the service? Are you really listening? What more can I do? How can I help you?” But it's like they have to grow. They might not be ready to accept [growing up] yet, but at some point in their life they will accept it. (Home C, Participant 2) Mothers’ lack of engagement in services may reflect their presentorientated mindset. Although mothers almost exclusively mentioned the benefits of programs to promote living independently (e.g.,
FLORIDA INSTITUTE FOR CHILD WELFARE
driver’s licenses, financial literacy), several providers mentioned using innovative programs (e.g., baby yoga) to connect and engage mothers. Although most mothers expressed similar experiences of useful services, several mothers did not. Some programs required participation in services while other programs’ services were “voluntary” but “strongly encouraged.” Mothers generally voiced that attendance requirements were problematic rather than the course content. For example, one mother disagreed that she should continually attend parenting classes even though she “graduated” from the class multiple times since arriving at the home. In another instance, a mother explained that although she found most programs helpful, as a non-Spanish speaker, she did not agree with the requirement to attend a weekly program delivered only in Spanish. The only consistent content complaint related to religious content. Several maternity group homes had religious affiliations or offered routine prayer groups and church attendance. Although all providers stated that religious participation was optional, several mothers discussed mandatory religious services. Multiple mothers stated that although they knew that the services may be optional, they felt pressure to attend because they wanted to please the providers. In addition to finding services unhelpful, a couple of mothers expressed that their homes did not offer services to young mothers. These few mothers described the homes as “somewhere to stay” and “renting out a room and no more” (Mother E, 21-year-old living in a group home). These exceptional cases were mothers who were living in independent living wings of maternity homes or adult group homes with less regulations and oversight than maternity homes for youth under the age of 18. Structure of Service Delivery
Promoting structure and autonomy Reflected in complaints about program attendance requirements, mothers’ general appreciation for programs did not translate into an appreciation of highly-structured service delivery. Instead, mothers desired structure with flexibility given their individual circumstances and time of adjustment during pregnancy and early motherhood. Mothers wanted to be part of a home rather than part of a system. They commonly expressed that the structure of services and house rules were “demanding” creating “a repeating record” for each day: get up, go to school, pick up child, eat dinner, take care of child/attend program, go to bed. Regardless of home variation on structure by location and age of child (e.g., pregnant residents typically had less structured time), mothers desired decisionmaking power. For example, one mother who highly valued the home’s provided skill-building programs (e.g., education, budgeting, cleaning, and cooking) explained how the structure of service delivery bothered her: I felt like I had no control over my life, and I had no control over even my own daughter's life because I got told when to wake up. I got told when breakfast was, when lunch was, when dinner was. I got told when I'm to take a shower, y'know? I got told when I could go outside... It's dehumanizing to anybody, but especially when you're a young parent and you're trying to figure it all out on your own, feeling like you have no control over your own life, much less your own kid's life, really hurts. (Mother F, 25-year-old living as sole provider in apartment) Many mothers mentioned the desire for control in their lives, especially as they adjusted to early motherhood. Another mother expressed that not being able to walk outside without permission made her “feel like you’re in a jail.” (Mother G, 22-year-old living in a shelter). Providers recognized that many residents resisted rules and structure. They grappled with tension between wanting to provide
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