A experiência de mães de bebês nascidos prematuros que passaram por internação em UTIN

Abstract

The birth of the first child is a crucial moment in the life cycle of many families. When this experience is crossed by the context of prematurity and there is a need for admission to the NICU, many mothers are faced with a set of new challenges and the compromise of some expectations regarding the process of becoming a mother. In this sense, this research sought to understand the experience of mothers who had their babies premature and hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Seven mothers of babies aged between 7 months and 5 years participated in the study at the time of data collection. The mothers were between 27 and 38 years old and lived in different regions of the country. The study was characterized as qualitative, with an exploratory descriptive character. For data collection, a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used, both carried out online. From the transcription of the interviews and submission to content analysis, six categories were defined: (1) Pregnancy: Insecurities and complications; (2) Unexpected Delivery and the NICU: The Feeling of Unreality and Fear; (4) the NICU and possibilities for mother-baby interaction; (4) Attention to the mother during the child's hospitalization; (5) Debuting Maternity - becoming a mother after discharge from the NICU; (6) Care after hospitalization: the mother-baby relationship at home. The results showed that the mothers felt little prepared for the moment of delivery, triggering frustration, fear and guilt for the premature birth, as well as a feeling of helplessness in the face of the need for NICU admission. During the hospitalization period, it was possible to identify that mothers perceived themselves as having little participation in the care of their babies, feeling deprived of their motherhood until the moment of hospital discharge, when they assumed responsibility for their children again. Also, during hospitalization, the teams' limited attention and care to the mother stood out, making it difficult for them to stay in the unit, feeling alone and not important in monitoring their babies. Thus, the importance of more studies related to this theme is reinforced, in an attempt to expand family care in the context of hospitalization of premature newborns.