The Experiences Of Mothers caring For Preterm Babies At Home: A Study In The Accra Metropolis

ABSTRACT

The expectation and hope of every pregnant woman is to deliver a healthy baby without any complication at the end of the pregnancy. Studies have shown that when a mother gives birth to a preterm baby, it generates feelings of despair, grief and anxiety. Preterm babies are babies born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy for gestation regardless of gestational age or birth weight. Preterm birth is an important perinatal health problem globally that needs to be given major attention. The objectives of this study were to explore the experiences of mothers caring for preterm babies at home, identify the major challenges and coping strategies of these mothers and to determine the information needs of mothers caring for preterm babies. A qualitative exploratory and descriptive method was used in the study. The study was conducted at the Department of Child Health, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Clinic of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Accra, Ghana. The target population for this study was all mothers who had delivered preterm babies, admitted at the NICU and discharged home with babies between the ages of 3 to 12 months at the time of the study. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit nine mothers. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using content analysis of the phenomenon being studied. The findings of the research indicated that mothers caring for preterm babies at home had an array of challenges including feeding, temperature control and attitudes of significant others. Their coping strategies included a reliance on the support of family and significant others and religion. Additionally, the findings of the study revealed that mothers with preterm babies desired more health education and support than they received. Finally, recommendations were made for nursing administration, nursing practice, policy makers and future research.