Question

As a postpartum client adapts to her maternal role, she progresses through several phases. During which phase does she begin to accept the neonate as a separate individual?

a) Taking-in phase
b) Taking-hold phase
c) Letting-go phase
d) Maternal adaptation phase

Answer 1

In the postpartum period, a new mother begins to accept the neonate as a separate individual during the taking-hold phase. This is the time when maternal care and bonding with the newborn intensify.

Step-by-step explanation:

The postpartum client progresses through several phases as she adapts to her maternal role after childbirth. During the taking-hold phase, which typically follows the initial taking-in phase, the new mother begins to accept the neonate as a separate individual. This phase is marked by an increase in maternal independence and confidence as the mother starts to initiate care for her newborn and becomes more sensitive to the neonate's cues and needs. The taking-in phase is characterized by maternal dependency and a focus on recovery and receipt of care, while the letting-go phase involves relinquishing an old identity to incorporate the new role of motherhood, and the maternal adaptation phase is a broader term for the overall process of becoming a mother.

Thus, the appropriate answer to the question of during which phase the mother begins to accept the neonate as a separate individual is b) Taking-hold phase.