Learning together about the infant: coproduction of maternal knowledge

Nurse home visiting programs are commonly provided for depressed mothers and their infant. These programs have been extensively
evaluated with significant outcomes demonstrated for both the mother and infant. An area of significance that is rarely investigated is
the coproduction of knowledge about the infant by the mother and nurse. The home visiting program, used in this study, encouraged
the mother to identify the issues to be discussed during each visit. The nurse acted as a facilitator of learning, questioning rather than
instructing the mother. The nurse avoids providing advice or information as a first response to addressing issues of concern. The
“Seeing is Believing” approach used in this study involved a short video recording (3-5 minutes) of the mother and infant interacting.
This video allowed the nurse and mother to wonder together as they watch the replay about how the infant and mother are
experiencing the interaction. They actively engage in identifying: the mother's and infant's strengths; the infant's cues; and what the
infant might be telling them. Using this knowledge they consider together how to enhance the mother and infant interactions and what
is needed to equip the mother to meet future parenting challenges. A case study approach using semi-structured, in-depth interviews
has been used to explore mother and nurse joint-production of knowledge. Template content analysis was used to work with the
interview data of three mothers and three nurses. Three major themes were identified within the data: working in partnership, mutual
learning strategies, and maternal and nurse learning outcomes. This presentation will explore the joint inquiry and coproduction of
maternal and nursing knowledge during a home visiting program for depressed mothers and their infants.