Discussion
This study aimed to evaluate NF’s impact on first-time mothers’ QoL and to investigate the association between their QoL, social support, and selected possible predictive factors. Our data did not reveal that NF impacted first-time mothers’ QoL at three months postpartum. Social support through a supporting presence at six weeks postpartum was associated with higher QoL at three months postpartum. In addition, the study showed that the QoL during the third trimester of pregnancy was related to the QoL at three months postpartum.Our study’s null finding regarding NF’s impact on QoL may imply that the traditional program provided by the CHS is sufficient in maintaining first-time mothers’ QoL levels during the given period. Thus, until further outcomes of NF are evaluated, politicians and clinical practitioners may continue with NF. Further research, such as qualitative interviews, may provide more insight into the first-time mother’s experiences with NF regarding QoL and related factors.The abovementioned finding could be due to several reasons. Emotional and appraisal support were statistically significantly associated with higher QoL in the first-time mothers. This relationship has previously been sparsely explored due to predominant attention on general social support measurements [Appraisal support was associated with the QoL domains environment and psychological. These domains encompass factors such as safety, home environment, self-esteem, feelings, and access to information and health care [Our findings suggest that informational and instrumental support may not play a crucial role in influencing the QoL of first-time mothers. Further, the findings may imply that emotional or appraisal support is more beneficial to improve QoL in first-time mothers. However, the results should be interpreted by Norway’s cultural and societal context to understand the clinical implications of this finding. Appropriate advice on infant care and behaviors with hands-on assistance may be readily available to our sample of first-time mothers from professionals and close ones. This may imply that the informational and instrumental support is sufficient enough. Further research utilizing different designs and measures is needed to better understand the role of informational and instrumental, as well as emotional and appraisal, support on the QoL of first-time mothers in Norway.Our findings revealed that the QoL level in pregnancy was related to the level at three months postpartum. This association was found in all QoL domains, with its highest effect in the psychological and social relationship domains. In line with the intention of NF, this finding supports that to improve first-time mothers’ QoL levels, interventions should be started already during pregnancy. Extensive knowledge exists of factors associated with poor and good QoL that emerge during pregnancy [The perception of enough sleep at six weeks postpartum was associated with higher levels of QoL in all domains at three months postpartum, showing the highest impact in the physical health domain. A similar relationship was found in our sample during pregnancy [