Research Paper By Michelle Graniel
(Life, Spiritual & Relationship Coach, UNITED STATES)
Introduction
The purpose of this research paper is to create awareness to bilingual coaches about a growing and in need niche: “the Hispanic community.” In this summary the focus will be on coaching the Hispanic New Mom. In my practice I have encountered many clients that have been looking for a coach for a long time but haven’t been able to find one who is fully bilingual and understand the Hispanic culture. As a Hispanic mom, I definitely understand the need of more coaches who can help moms like me to experience the beautiful yet challenging motherhood, particularly stressful during the first months of having our babies, helping us manage our lives between the day to day turmoil, helping us enjoy motherhood instead of suffering it, everything in our own language: Spanish.
Who is Hispanic?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the countries of Latin America and Spain and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino. Hispanic is a narrower term which only refers to persons of Spanish-speaking origin or ancestry.
Facts
In the US more than 16% of the total population is Hispanic that represents 50.5 million people and 51% are women (census 2010). For this study I am selecting the population between 20 to 40 years old as a potential target for this niche, equivalent to more than 6.5 million women; moreover the Hispanic population is growing at a faster pace than the rest of the races.
Motherhood Facts
Being a new mom comes with many great moments but also great challenges. There is plenty of information available on how to take care of ourselves during pregnancy, but what happens when the baby arrives? There are many books, blogs, magazines and web pages that offer support on how to take care of the new baby and how to overcome common challenges with them. Although we have knowledge about the lack of sleep and all the changes to our bodies, there’s still no specific guidance for new moms on how to manage our lives, or the lack of it, once the baby is home. The main challenges for new-moms 15 Hispanic women were asked to fill two surveys in the DFW area, the following list is a summary of their concerns and recommendations regarding being a new mom.
*Although 15 women is not a statistical valid sample for the US, I consider it valid for the purpose of this research.
1. Taking care of yourself
The new baby is totally dependent on the mom, it is extremely hard to focus in something else, and if you already have other kids the list goes on, you can find yourself lost between all the day to day tasks. Hispanic women like to take good care of themselves and not having enough time to even take a shower could be really hard.
2. Releasing the extra weight and going back in shape
This is the most common and frustrating challenge new moms face, and it has to do with the lack of time to do things for yourself, it seems impossible to take 30 minutes to go for a walk, or do any type of activity. It is important to take notice that it took 9 months to get here and going back to your normal weight is not going to be achieved in just a couple of weeks. More than 75% of Hispanic women are overweight or obese (Flegal, K).
3. Lack of sleep
The first few months are filled with sleepless nights as most babies do not sleep through the night before the third or fourth month of life; moreover some babies can take up to a year to develop their sleep routine. Changing the new mom perspective and understanding about this stage is a great way to put moms back on track and enjoy motherhood.
4. Being and feeling sexy
Your body changed in so many ways to be able to carry your baby for 40 weeks, that after delivery the leftovers are extra fat, stretch marks, enlarged and sore breasts, it’s important to remember that the leftovers have a purpose and is to provide new moms with the extra energy to take care of their babies. New moms can experience problems with their partners by thinking they are not seeing them the same as before and feeling a lack of attraction or affection from their part.
5. Uncertainty about your career
Some moms will not have trouble making the decision about becoming a stay at home mom, some others will find that they miss their work and being part of a community, and other moms do not have a choice and are forced to go back to work immediately to support their family. These moms could sometimes feel guilt for not spending time with their babies. Heili Pals, a sociology teacher for University of Central Florida said to Linda Shrieves for the Orlando Sentinel in 2009:
There is some evidence that Hispanic culture, even in the U.S. is more traditional, and that might be the reason more Hispanic women are staying at home with kids.