Feelings of mothers of prematurely born babies: nursing implications

Abstract

This is a qualitative case study about the feelings of mothers of prematurely born babies that were at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The research’s main question was: how do you feel about your child being hospitalized? Twenty mothers of premature babies with gestational ages from 31 to 36 weeks were investigated. Bardin’s technique of content analysis was used. Two categories emerged from the mothers’ reports: feelings and events. The results brought up feelings such as sadness, fear, guilt, confidence and hope. To complete the study the author provides a reflection about care procedures to the mother/baby binomial.