Maternidade prematura, apoio social e necessidades de mães de neonatos hospitalizados na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal

Abstract

Motherhood is a period of existential transition of great significance for women. In this sense, when there is a premature birth the mother needs to adapt to the new reality and connect with a child different from that idealized in pregnancy, and needs support with hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In this critical period of life, social support becomes paramount, as well as the satisfaction of the postpartum woman's needs in motherhood. The aim of this research is to investigate the experience of premature motherhood and its link with social support and needs of mothers of preterm hospitalized neonates. This is an analytical, quantitative and cross-sectional study conducted with 90 mothers. The instruments used were: sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire of the mother and newborn, a structured interview, the inventory of needs and stressors of intensive care family members and the scale of evaluation of perceived social support. The results showed that mothers experience premature motherhood with many fears, insecurities and sadness due to the possibility of death or worsening of the newborn's health. Family, partner and health team support proved to be relevant during hospitalization. Regarding the social support instrument, a high score of all dimensions was evidenced, affective and material support were the highest scores. Regarding the needs, all resulted in a high degree of importance, with the dimensions of security and information better scored. It is verified that an empathic, humanized and welcoming care should be extended beyond the care of the newborn, when it is constructed care strategies that consider the experience of having a premature maternity, that strengthens the social support network, the bond of the mother with the baby and the team and identify their needs, favoring a more satisfactory experience during the hospitalization period.