A vivência materna no cuidado do filho prematuro hospitalizado durante a segunda etapa do Método Canguru

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a perinatal assistance model aimed at improving the quality of care provided to the premature newborn (NB), which reduces the separation time from their parents, the stress and pain, provides proper thermal control, increases mother breastfeeding and baby’s weight gain. In the second stage of the KMC, the baby is held in the kangaroo position for indeterminate time, which assures stronger bonds between mother and newborn. OBJECTIVES: To understand the perception of premature newborn’s mothers in relation to the KMC. CASUISTRY AND METHOD: This is a descriptive research with qualitative approach, carried out at the Neonatology Unit of the Uberlândia Clinic Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia, after approval by the Committee of Ethics in Research with Human Beings under opinion nº 3.054.210. The participants were nine accompanying mothers of their preterm child, which were hospitalized in the Kangaroo Unit. The inclusion criteria were mothers, with age equal or higher than 18 years old, accompanying preterm children who were hospitalized for at least five days in the KMC accommodation. The data collection was carried out from February to April 2019, through semi structured interview based on guiding questions. The reports were recorded and, after the transcription, the audio digital files were deleted. The identity of the participants was substituted by the numerical order of the interviews collection, in order to eliminate any possibility of identification. The responses to the guiding questions were subjected to a content analysis from Laurence Bardin’s perspective. RESULTS: After the application of the analysis criteria and identification of meaning and context units, four thematic categories emerged: “Kangaroo Unit inherent aspects”; “Maternal perspective”; “Multi-professional performance”; “Skin-to-skin contact and caring for premature: mother legitimation”. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The mother’s experience with the hospitalization of their children in the second stage of KMC permeated the woman’s intern conflict in the gestation until the premature child’s birth, the issues involving the hospital environment, the duality of feelings regarding the delicate health situation of the baby, the decision of remaining in the Kangaroo Unit, which reflects the distance from family life, the difficulties faced to be full time in the unit and the family and emotional support. In contrast, it was determined the emergence of positive feelings, the creation of bonds with the baby in skin-to-skin contact, the learning in the care of the preterm, the happiness in performing the maternity and discovering herself the authentic mother.