The forgotten mothers of extremely preterm babies: A qualitative study

Fowler, C; Green, J; Elliott, D; Petty, J; Whiting, L

The forgotten mothers of extremely preterm babies: A qualitative study

Fowler, C

Green, J

Elliott, D

Petty, J

Whiting, L

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2019, 28 (11-12), pp. 2124 - 2134
Issue Date:: 2019-06-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Fowler, C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7838-8434	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Green, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2938-6694	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Elliott, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6081-5442	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Petty, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3639-2881	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Whiting, L https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4184-1933	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-05-25T19:18:32Z
dc.date.issued	2019-06-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2019, 28 (11-12), pp. 2124 - 2134	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0962-1067	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/131138
dc.description.abstract	© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aims and objectives: To explore the experiences of mothers of extremely premature babies during their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay and transition home. Background: Mothers of extremely preterm infants (28 weeks’ gestation or less) experience a continuum of regular and repeated stressful and traumatic events, during the perinatal period, during the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay, and during transition home. Method: An interpretive description method guided this study. Ten mothers of extremely premature infants who had been at home for less than six months were recruited via a Facebook invitation to participate in semi-structured telephone interviews exploring their experiences in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the transition home. The data were examined using a six-phase thematic analysis approach. The COREQ checklist has been used. Results: Two main themes emerged: (a) things got a bit dire; and (b) feeling a failure as a mother. Participants had a heightened risk of developing a mental disorder from exposure to multiple risk factors prior to and during birth, as well as during the postnatal period in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and their infant's transition to home. Mothers highlighted the minimal support for their mental health from healthcare professionals, despite their regular and repeated experience of traumatic events. Conclusion: The mothers were at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress symptoms and/or other mental health issues. Of note, study participants relived the trauma of witnessing their infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, demonstrated hypervigilance behaviour and identified lack of relevant support needed when their infant was at home. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study highlights the need for nurses to include a focus on the mothers’ psychosocial needs. Supporting maternal mental health both improves maternal well-being and enables mothers to be emotionally available and responsive to their extremely preterm infant.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Clinical Nursing	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/jocn.14820	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Nursing	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Risk Factors	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mothers	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Neonatal Nursing	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Qualitative Research	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Infant	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Infant, Newborn	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Intensive Care Units, Neonatal	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Infant, Extremely Premature	en_US
dc.title	The forgotten mothers of extremely preterm babies: A qualitative study	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	11-12	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	28	en_US
utslib.for	1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine	en_US
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services	en_US
utslib.for	1110 Nursing	en_US
utslib.for	1701 Psychology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Students
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	11-12	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	28	en_US

Abstract:

© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aims and objectives: To explore the experiences of mothers of extremely premature babies during their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay and transition home. Background: Mothers of extremely preterm infants (28 weeks’ gestation or less) experience a continuum of regular and repeated stressful and traumatic events, during the perinatal period, during the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay, and during transition home. Method: An interpretive description method guided this study. Ten mothers of extremely premature infants who had been at home for less than six months were recruited via a Facebook invitation to participate in semi-structured telephone interviews exploring their experiences in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the transition home. The data were examined using a six-phase thematic analysis approach. The COREQ checklist has been used. Results: Two main themes emerged: (a) things got a bit dire; and (b) feeling a failure as a mother. Participants had a heightened risk of developing a mental disorder from exposure to multiple risk factors prior to and during birth, as well as during the postnatal period in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and their infant's transition to home. Mothers highlighted the minimal support for their mental health from healthcare professionals, despite their regular and repeated experience of traumatic events. Conclusion: The mothers were at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress symptoms and/or other mental health issues. Of note, study participants relived the trauma of witnessing their infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, demonstrated hypervigilance behaviour and identified lack of relevant support needed when their infant was at home. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study highlights the need for nurses to include a focus on the mothers’ psychosocial needs. Supporting maternal mental health both improves maternal well-being and enables mothers to be emotionally available and responsive to their extremely preterm infant.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/131138