Where Do the Babies Go? Infants of Incarcerated Mothers and Their Caregivers

Description

There is limited research identifying who cares for the babies born to mothers who are incarcerated in Wisconsin. Little is known about the caregiver arrangements or the transitions that infants, mothers, and caregivers experience. In the United States, babies born to mothers in prison are more likely to be born prematurely, have low birthweight, and be admitted to the hospital. These outcomes have been linked to negative short-term and long-term health outcomes. Separating a newborn from their mother can also disrupt the infant’s early biological rhythms and dyadic regulatory processes and can lead to inconsolable crying, tantrum behavior, eating and sleeping difficulties, clinging behavior, withdrawal, and irritability. These behaviors can be challenging for caregivers. Understanding the experiences of mothers and caregivers is important to future efforts to amend Wisconsin’s current practices of separating mothers who are incarcerated from their newborn babies.

The Where Do the Babies Go? Infants of Incarcerated Mothers and Their Caregivers project aims to examine the lived experiences of birthing people who had babies while they were incarcerated, and the people who cared for their babies after they were born (fathers, family members, grandparents, foster parents, etc.). The long-term goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of mothers giving birth while incarcerated, their infants, and of caregivers caring for their infants. The overall objective is to understand the processes used to place newborns with a caregiver, including the mother’s ability to determine caregiver arrangements and to stay involved with their baby’s ongoing care.

Specific Aims

Aim 1: Characterize the placement(s) of newborn babies born to incarcerated mothers from the perspective of the mother and caregivers.

Aim 2: Describe the experience of autonomy and decision-making ability of incarcerated mothers regarding their newborn baby’s placement and ongoing care.

Aim 3: Identify different maternal-child-caregiver relationships and caregiving roles and structures after the mother’s release from prison or jail.

Collaborations

The community-engaged project is advised by a Technical Advisory Board (TAB), Project Community Advisory Board (PCAB), and UWPRC CAB subcommittee. The TAB is a group of six community entities that have established working relationships with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) and have experience working with women in the carceral system. The TAB advises on research design, finalizing interview guides, building the Project Community Advisory Board, interpretation of results, and dissemination and translation of findings. The PCAB is a group of individuals with lived or living experience related to the specific aims of the research. The PCAB oversees all stages of the project from recruitment to dissemination and are supported by the UWPRC CAB subcommittee. Two members of the PCAB actively participate in data collection of the project.