Left-side preference in holding and carrying newborn infants III. Mothers' perception of pregnancy one month prior to delivery and subsequent holding behaviour during the first postnatal week

One month prior to delivery, 82 primigravidae were interviewed during a routine antenatal clinic visit. All the pregnancies were normal and uncomplicated; all the infants were healthy and delivered at term. During the first postnatal week the way mothers held their newborn was studied. Seventy-six per cent of the mothers held the infant on the left side and twenty-four per cent on the right side. Mothers holding on the right had experienced a more negative perception of body changes and had made fewer preparations for delivery of the expected baby during pregnancy. Mothers holding on the left expressed a desire to return to gainful employment sooner after parturition and were married to or living with men of higher educational level. These results suggest that as early as one month before the expected date of delivery, mothers holding the infant on the left side differ from those mothers holding it on the right side during the first postnatal week.