For this discussion, I will be choosing a task from the family development and life cycle theory and I will apply this task to a family in my nursing practice. According to our textbook, Duvall’s family developmental and life cycle theory described a process of developing over time that is predictable and yet induvial, based on unique life circumstances and family interactions (Kaakinsen, Coehlo, Steele & Robinson 2018). Today I will be discussing the task of facilitating role learning of family members.

Deciding to have children can be a happy yet difficult time for families and can take a toll on what would be assumed a healthy relationship. Role learning is when the couple needs to understand the expectations of these new roles and then being able to develop the ability to assume this role. A family that the nurse could apply this task to would be a family that is just expecting their first child. A couple that has set roles now as husband and wife or as partners. They will need to learn and take on new roles when the baby is born so that one caregiver is not taking on more stress than the other. For example, if the wife does the majority of the housework such as laundry and dishes, the father may need to assume some of these duties if the mother decides she wants to breastfeed. As the nurse, you want to be able and help the new parents take on these new roles with different inventions. Some of the interventions the nurse could recommend would be to attend counseling sessions or other new parenting classes that will assist both parents and help them to better adapt to the new changes that are coming.

In conclusion, the family nurse wants to be a resource for new parents and not only help them find specific classes to attend but to help empower the couple they are doing the right thing and help them find their strengths.

Barimani, M., Forslund Frykedal, K., Rosander, M., & Berlin, A. (2018). Childbirth and parenting preparation in antenatal classes. Midwifery, 57, 1–7. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2017.10.021

In this discussion board I am going to talk about one of the nine family developmental and life cycle theory tasks and apply it to a family I have cared for in my nursing practice. The task I’m going to discuss is number five, which covers adjusting to changed communication patterns. This task focuses on the change in communication between parents, but also learning how to communicate with a newborn child. A family that comes to mind when learning about this task is a family that has a newborn being treated for failure to thrive. When families bring in an infant for failure to thrive we, as medical professionals, to try figure out if there is a medical reason this infant isn’t gaining weight or if it is an environmental concern. We call this organic vs nonorganic failure to thrive. The first day or two consists of parents feeding their infant the way they normally would and the baby’s weight is closely monitored. If there is no weight gain the infant is then given a nasogastric tube and we administer feeds through that with high caloric formula and continue to monitor the baby’s weight. If the infant gains weight with adequate caloric intake then it is usually the environment that is causing the infant to not gain weight (Venkateshwar, Raghu Raman, 2000). If an infant has no medical concern for their failure to thrive it is my job to talk about newborns and how they communicate. I help parents learn their infants cues and encourage them to interact with their newborn frequently (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, & Robinson, 2018). It is very difficult to learn what your infant needs, especially in the first few months. Some cues are easier to notice than others. At the time of discharge I make sure this family understands their infant more and can pick up on their communication cues.

References:

Kaakinen, J.R., Coehlo, D.P., Steele, R., & Robinson, M. (2018). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice and research (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.

Venkateshwar V., Raghu Raman, TS. (2000). Failure to Thrive. Med J. Armed Forces India. Pages 219-224. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC55320…

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