Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2664568 Journal of Pediatric Nursing 2008 11 Pages PDF
Abstract

Neonatal nurses today are challenged not only to provide the best possible developmental care for a preterm infant but also to help the mother through an uncertain motherhood toward a feeling of being a real mother for her preterm baby. An increasing interest in mothers' experiences of having a preterm baby is seen. A meta-synthesis of 14 qualitative research studies on mothers' experiences of having a preterm baby in the neonatal intensive care unit, published from 2000 onward, was conducted. Noblit and Hare's methodological approach was used. The meta-synthesis revealed five metaphors that captured the mothers' experiences. These metaphors centered on reciprocal relationships that consisted of mother–baby relationship (“from their baby to my baby”), maternal development (a striving to be a real normal mother), the turbulent neonatal environment (from foreground to background), maternal caregiving and role reclaiming strategies (from silent vigilance to advocacy), and mother–nurse relationship (from continuously answering questions through chatting to sharing of knowledge). Implications of the meta-synthesis for neonatal nursing are addressed.

Related Topics
Health Sciences Medicine and Dentistry Perinatology, Pediatrics and Child Health
Authors
, ,