Covid-19 pandemic: experiences of mothers of infants who were born premature

Abstract

Objective: To learn the experiences of mothers of infants who were born premature in the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: Qualitative study based on the Bioecological Theory of Human Development, developed in a public maternity hospital in Paraíba, Brazil, between June and July 2020 with 21 mothers of infants who were born premature, through semi-structured interview. The data were submitted to inductive thematic analysis. Results: Mothers know the measures for prevention, transmission, and symptoms of the disease, as reported in the media, but have different perceptions about social isolation. Their experiences were permeated by financial difficulties, reduced social support and emotional stress. Final considerations: It is recommended to monitor child health and provide social support to the mother-child binomial remotely, so that there is no break in the continuity of the bond and care for the family in this moment of vulnerability.

Experiences of Mothers of Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…They reported that being in the NICU during a global pandemic caused them to be even more concerned about the health of their infant, affected their maternal role, and led them to adopt a survival mode mentality. These results are confirmed by previous studies 7,11,13. Moreover, research conducted during the pandemic have shown that separation policies are harmful to both the caregiver and the infant 7,18,19.…”

“…Canadian mothers in our study identified the same theme even when interviewed a year after the start of the pandemic, which indicates that isolation is a pervasive negative outcome throughout the public health emergency, and which crosses country borders. Furthermore, social isolation was reported in a qualitative study conducted in Brazil with a similar study population to ours, mothers of preterm infants 13. The authors found that this led to reduced social support and emotional stress for mothers 13.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, only one other study has published on the positive aspects of the pandemic. A study conducted in a Brazilian NICU showed that mothers perceived isolation positively because it could reduce the risk of infection for their preterm infant 13. As the literature on prematurity progressively shifts to incorporate parental perspectives on their NICU experience including strengths and resilience, our study provides new evidence of this observation in an unprecedented pandemic context 23…”

“…Few studies have explored mothers' lived experience over an extended period and at different time points during their NICU stay. With respect to qualitative research, to the best of our knowledge, only 2 published studies interviewed NICU mothers and described their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Italy 12,13. Only one of these studies specifically focused on mothers of preterm infants 13.…”

“…With respect to qualitative research, to the best of our knowledge, only 2 published studies interviewed NICU mothers and described their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Italy 12,13. Only one of these studies specifically focused on mothers of preterm infants 13. In summary, there have been scarce in-depth interviews and qualitative analyses on the mental health and well-being of NICU mothers of preterm infants in response to evolving restrictions during the pandemic, and none in the North American context.…”