Abstract

ALMEIDA, Natalia de Sousa  and  GOLDSTEIN, Rosely Abramowicz. Psychic impacts on the experiences of mothers of extremely low weight baby admitted to a Neonatal ICU. Rev. SBPH [online]. 2022, vol.25, n.1, pp. 84-96. ISSN 1516-0858.  http://dx.doi.org/10.57167/Rev-SBPH.v25.030.

Prematurity is a matter of concern for public health, given the significant rate of neonatal death and morbidity, in addition to the psychological risks that may arise from premature birth. The literature points out that having a baby with low birth weight, unresponsive to the parents' appeals and different from what was imagined can affect the mother's affective investiment in relation to the baby, causing difficulties in the bonding process between them. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the experiences of mothers of premature babies with extremely low weight (<1,000g) admitted to the Neonatal ICU, as well as the impacts on the mother's interest in the baby. The research was cross-sectional, descriptive, qualitative. Eight mothers were interviewed within the eligible criteria of the research and the collected data were examined through content analysis. The results showed that the experience of premature birth generated helplessness, anguish, and a feeling of impotence for the woman. However, the mothers maintained their bet on the child, their idealization and the hope of continuous development.

Keywords : mourning; motherhood; severely underweight; affective investment; neonatal intensive care unit.

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