The transition home of extremely premature babies: An integrative review

Abstract

Taking a premature baby home after an often-protracted period on the neonatal unit can be stressful for parents and they are often confronted with an unexpected reality. The transition to motherhood and parenthood has occurred in the neonatal unit, under the watchful eye of neonatal nurses. When the baby goes home, parents are expected to take on the full-time caregiving role of a baby who may require around the clock care with medications, home oxygen, feeding issues and monitoring. The level of preparation for the transition home of the premature baby can impact on how the family survives and thrives. It is not surprising that parents may find this challenging because the growth and development trajectory of extremely premature babies can be markedly different from a term infant requiring tailored support to meet. This article is an integrative review of the literature focusing on parents' experience of transitioning home from a neonatal unit with a premature baby. Six themes were identified, and an analysis is presented: namely, transition, unique needs of premature babies, discharge preparation and readiness, discharge learning content, maternal mental health and the role of the neonatal nurse in transition.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mothers’ experiences of caring for preterm babies at home: qualitative insights from an urban setting in a middle-income country

“…The birth of a preterm baby presents a unique challenge for a mother, a task for which she is unprepared [1]. Preterm babies have exceptional circumstances that require heightened surveillance, timeless dedication, constant education, and garnering enormous support from one's family and external network [1][2][3][4][5]. Mothers have challenges with home care such as feeding [1,[6][7][8] and monitoring [5].…”

“…Preterm babies have exceptional circumstances that require heightened surveillance, timeless dedication, constant education, and garnering enormous support from one's family and external network [1][2][3][4][5]. Mothers have challenges with home care such as feeding [1,[6][7][8] and monitoring [5]. They may experience fear [9], stress, anxiety [10,11], depression [12], and isolation [13].…”

“…They may experience fear [9], stress, anxiety [10,11], depression [12], and isolation [13]. Mothers with limited access to counselling and support services are more vulnerable to ineffective coping especially when they are ill-informed and unable to distinguish the immediate and continued needs of their preterm babies [2,5].…”

Home Intervention For Mother And Premature Infant: A Literature Review

“…Care for premature babies includes feeding, thermoregulation and infection prevention. Feeding premature babies is the most important skill, so parents should learn it well, because feeding and nutrition are frequently reported becoming as a problem after they got discharged from hospital (26). In interventions carried out at home, health workers provided examples and evaluated feeding either through direct breastfeeding or using tools such as cups and bottles.…”

Home Intervention For Mother And Premature Infant: A Literature Review

“…Home care for premature babies includes feeding, thermoregulation and infection prevention (3,5). Feeding premature babies is the most important skill, so parents should learn it well, because feeding and nutrition are frequently reported becoming as a problem after they got discharged from hospital (36). In interventions carried out at home, health workers provided examples and evaluated feeding either through direct breastfeeding or using tools such as cups and bottles.…”