Although pregnancy and the first year of life are sensitive windows for child development, we know very little about the lived experiences of mothers living in poverty or near poverty during the perinatal period; specifically, how they perceive and use public resources to support themselves and their newborn. In this qualitative study, we explore how predominantly Black and Latinx mothers with infants living in or near poverty and engaged in public assistance manage to meet their family’s needs with available resources from safety net programs and social supports. We conducted 20 qualitative interviews with mothers living in (85%) or near poverty in New York City (NYC). All participants (mean age = 24) had an 11-month-old infant at the time of the interview. Using thematic analysis, we identified five main themes reflecting how mothers experience and navigate living with very low incomes while engaging in public assistance programs: (1) experiencing cascading effects of hardships during pregnancy, (2) relying on food assistance and informal supports amid scarcity, (3) waiting for limited affordable housing: ‘life on hold’, (4) finding pathways towards stability after the baby’s birth, (5) making it work: efforts to look forward. Results describe how the current focus on “work first” of existing federal and state policies adds a layer of stress and burden on the lives of single mothers experiencing low incomes and entangled hardships during pregnancy and after birth. We document how mothers experience coverage gaps and implementation challenges navigating the patchwork of public assistance programs, yet how the support of flexible caseworkers accessing, using, and coordinating assistance has the potential to help mothers plan for longer-term goals.

尽管怀孕和生命第一年是儿童发展的敏感窗口，但我们对围产期贫困或接近贫困的母亲的生活经历知之甚少；具体来说，他们如何看待和使用公共资源来支持自己和新生儿。在这项定性研究中，我们探讨了主要是黑人和拉丁裔母亲，其婴儿生活在贫困或接近贫困并参与公共援助，如何利用安全网计划和社会支持的可用资源来满足家庭的需求。我们对纽约市 (NYC) 生活贫困 (85%) 或接近贫困的母亲进行了 20 次定性访谈。所有参与者（平均年龄 = 24）在接受采访时都有一个 11 个月大的婴儿。通过主题分析，我们确定了五个主题，反映了母亲在参与公共援助计划时如何体验和应对低收入生活：(1) 经历怀孕期间困难的连锁效应，(2) 在资源匮乏的情况下依赖粮食援助和非正式支持，（3）等待有限的经济适用房：“生活暂停”，（4）在婴儿出生后寻找稳定的途径，（5）使其发挥作用：努力向前看。结果描述了当前联邦和州政策对“工作第一”的关注如何给那些在怀孕和产后经历低收入和纠缠困难的单身母亲的生活增加了一层压力和负担。我们记录了母亲们在错综复杂的公共援助计划中如何经历覆盖范围差距和实施挑战，以及灵活的社会工作者在获取、使用和协调援助方面的支持如何有可能帮助母亲们规划长期目标。