Home Visiting Assignment

Physical

Cognitive Abilities

No cognitive delays or concerns were present.

Communication Abilities

Both P.E. (mother) and B.E. (father) are able to speak and read in English language. There were no communication delays noted. Both parents were able to communicate verbally, nonverbally, and in written form.

Individual Developmental Level

P.E. is very active within her community, work, and family. She is a college graduate and currently works as a banker in her hometown, and she is also a health and wellness coach for women. However, due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, she often feels isolated from loved ones and feels that she is lacking human contact and connection.

Family Developmental Level

Both parents are full-time workers who are able to accommodate their work schedules to their home life. They are active together in their community, church, and family, which strengthens their relationship.

Physical Environment

B.E. and P.E. live in a newly built home in the town where they both are employed. The home appears to be free of clutter and very organized. The baby room is on the main level, where B.E. and P.E. also have their room.

“Visuals such as a videos and clear handouts enhance learning” (Minnesota Department of Health [MDH], 2019. p. 136). However, it is important not to overwhelm the mother with an abundance of information, so keeping the visual information, along with the discussion topics specific and concrete will ensure that the vital information is being shared in a manner that will not confuse the mother or over complicate the information (Schoon, Porta, & Shaffer, 2019, p. 190).

P.E. explained that she is a visual and auditory learner, so meeting her needs through visual handouts and videos explaining information that is being discussed verbally as well will enhance her learning capabilities of the information being presented.

Emotional

Current stress, coping, resilience

P.E. is currently struggling with postpartum stress, anxiety, and depression since the birth of her first child. She is open to communicating about these concerns and negative thoughts and feelings she has but explains that she is afraid to share these feelings with others in fear they will judge her and not understand. She appears to be adjusting to motherhood well, as she tries to stick to a routine each day but struggles mentally and emotionally with negative thoughts and worries. Her husband is very supportive and willing to help her in any way he can, but he will soon be going back to work, which adds more stress to P.E. She is very goal-driven, so when she sets her mind to achieving something, she does not let anything get in her way.

Motivation for learning

P.E. is very eager to learn and is very willing to adapt new lifestyle habits into her daily life. She expressed that she is a visual and auditory learner, so these learning methods will be utilized. She acknowledged that she would like to learn more about stress and anxiety and why it is prevalent after giving birth.

Readiness for learning

P.E. is in the preparation stage of change, which indicates that she has made the decision to enhance her life and begin to implement positive changes into her life.

Since P.E. explained that she struggles with her ability to share her stress and anxiety feelings with others, it is important to “avoid terminology, phrases, or visual cues that reinforce stereotypes or contradict verbal messages” (Schoon et al., 2019, p. 194). Avoiding stereotypes around mental health will not only encourage the mother to open up about her feelings, but it will also motivate her to work towards a goal of stress and anxiety freedom.

P.E. shares much of her life on social media as she is an online health and fitness coach for a part-time occupation, so she feels added pressures from social media to avoid sharing her struggles. MDH (2019) explains that nurses must consider how the use of social media impacts communication and how it can be used (p. 139).

Experiential

Culture and language

P.E. was born and raised in the United States of America, but she comes from German and Swedish descent. She reads and communicates in English, along with her husband. She does not know any other languages. Her mother is a music schoolteacher and her father is a farmer.

Culture and health beliefs and practices

P.E. has many health professionals in her family, so she grew up with knowing the importance of healthcare and seeking medical attention for concerns and annual visits. She receives all recommended vaccinations, annual physicals, and participated in all suggested pre-natal care appointments, treatments, and practices.

Past experiences with healthcare and specific health topics

P.E. had a pregnancy scare in her third trimester. She urgently went to the emergency room after fear of fetal harm due to not feeling any movement or contractions for over twelve hours. She expressed the worry and anxiety she felt during this time but was immediately put to ease when healthcare professionals took the time to listen to her concerns, perform tests, and determine there was no harm to the fetus. This was a scary time for the new mother, but she had a very positive experience with her healthcare team.

It is important to consider the mother’s background information and culture to determine her values and beliefs. P.E. prides herself in understanding simple medical terminology and treatments, so knowing this, she is motivated to learn information to gain knowledge that can assist her in her personal life. However, she also has had a few scary and uncertain medical visits that have left her worried for her personal health and the health of her newborn, so it is important to “Promote a positive emotional experience and sense of relatedness by using positive language; acknowledging and addressing concerns; creating communications that are enjoyable, relevant, and helpful to the use…” (MDH, 2019, p. 135).

Knowledge

Educational/reading level

Both P.E. and B.E. have a four-year college education and work full-time. They are able to read and write adequately.

Language literacy and learning style

P.E. and B.E. are English writers and speakers. They both expressed they learn best through visual and auditory learning approaches.

Present knowledge on topic/past health education

P.E. stated that she feels very unprepared as a new mother because even though she has babysat multiple times for newborns in the past, she feels there is added pressure now that the baby is her own to care for.

Health literacy

P.E. grew up in a family with many medical professionals, so she is very familiar with medical terminology and different treatments and medications since she has had many family members with medical illnesses and conditions. She explained that even though she is very familiar with some medical terminology, there is still a lot that she does not know but is interested in learning.

P.E. is very motivated to learn as she is hoping she can overcome her fears, anxieties, and concerns. “Using meaningful, relevant visual elements that engage audience emotions” (Schoon et al., 2019, p. 198). By understanding the mother’s emotions and feelings, the teaching can be modified and specialized to fit her learning needs while still teaching factual and important information.

Behavioral Outcomes

Brief Content Outline

Resources

Evaluation-Expected Outcome

Outcome #1

P.E. will be able to identify/demonstrate at least two strategies to reduce and manage stress and anxiety during her postpartum journey.

P.E. was given several written and verbal tips and information regarding postpartum stress and anxiety. She was referred to multiple websites to research further information if she wished and was also given printouts of the information being taught to ensure her learning needs were being met.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Florida State University College of Medicine

P.E. stated two ways she can manage her stress and anxiety from the information given to her and discussed during the time together. P.E. was able to utilize the information handouts and practice techniques such as journaling daily moods and behaviors and physical exercise. I assisted her in first demonstrating (virtually) how to use these techniques, which then she copied and demonstrated effectively on her own. P.E. asked questions regarding anxiety reduction, in which I referred to several handouts and we went over the emotional meaning behind anxiety and factors that contribute to it. She identified her personal stressors and anxiety producing factors, which then she was able to implement necessary interventions.

Outcome #2

P.E. will be able to identify two signs and symptoms of SIDS and identify and demonstrate two interventions and actions to prevent the possible occurrence of SIDS in her one-month old daughter.

A video was shown to mother that briefly went over infant sleep safety and things to avoid doing when caring for an infant. P.E. was also handed information from the Healthy Children website and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website that discussed SIDS and how to properly care for infants to avoid this incident. A discussion was held after mother and nurse went over information and nurse then answered any questions P.E. had.

Allina Health website

Healthy Children website

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website

P.E. shared many concerns that she had about the health and safety of her newborn daughter, so after the final visit, P.E. was able to successfully identify signs and symptoms of SIDS and she demonstrated two interventions, using a fitted sheet on crib bed and avoiding excess pillows and blanket in the crib and placing the infant on her back while sleeping. A video was shown that demonstrated how to effectively perform these interventions, which then P.E. demonstrated an understanding of and completed. I was able to witness these actions through the use of Facetime and answer questions P.E. had regarding the layout of the baby crib.