‘It seems hard for her, but she tries to be strong’: early childhood community practitioners’ accounts of foreign mother’s vulnerabilities in Alexandra Township, South Africa

‘It seems hard for her, but she tries to be strong’: early childhood community practitioners’ accounts of foreign mother’s vulnerabilities in Alexandra Township, South Africa | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 6 June 2025 V1 Latest version Share on ‘It seems hard for her, but she tries to be strong’: early childhood community practitioners’ accounts of foreign mother’s vulnerabilities in Alexandra Township, South Africa Authors : Chloe Laumann 0009-0007-9372-1016 [email protected] , Josien de Klerk 0000-0002-9165-4100 , and Nicki Dawson Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174923478.83911843/v1 Published Infant and Child Development Version of record Peer review timeline 248 views 159 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract This qualitative study explores challenges foreign mothers face in caring for newborns in Alexandra Township, South Africa, from the perspective of Early Childhood Community Practitioners (ECCPs). Based on 21 observational reports written by ECCPs and 3 triangulation interviews, the study explores practitioner accounts of specific vulnerabilities and their impact on the ability of foreign mothers to respond to their infants. Using a vulnerability framework the study shows three themes related to the experiences of 21 foreign mothers aged between 23 and 38, the majority being from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, that practitioners negatively associated with mothers’ ability to take care of their babies: experiences of structural and systemic challenges, challenges related to social and caregiving support, and resilience narratives. The interplay of different vulnerabilities shapes parenting infants at particular moments in time. The study concludes that ECCPs associate the parenting capacity of foreign mothers to the emotional toll of their experiences and the uncertainty of social support. Supplementary Material File (foreign mothers_revised_manuscript.docx) Download 1.98 MB File (table 1. mother sample demographics by country of origin 2018-2023.docx) Download 18.00 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 06 June 2025 Peer review timeline Published Infant and Child Development Version of Record 25 Aug 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords infant development maternal mental health migration social support vulnerability Authors Affiliations Chloe Laumann 0009-0007-9372-1016 [email protected] Universiteit Leiden Leiden University College The Hague View all articles by this author Josien de Klerk 0000-0002-9165-4100 Leiden University Leiden University College The Hague View all articles by this author Nicki Dawson Stellenbosch University View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 248 views 159 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Chloe Laumann, Josien de Klerk, Nicki Dawson. ‘It seems hard for her, but she tries to be strong’: early childhood community practitioners’ accounts of foreign mother’s vulnerabilities in Alexandra Township, South Africa. Authorea . 06 June 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174923478.83911843/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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