Emotions of mothers of premature babies: The perspective of health professionals

Abstract

This article analyzed the emotional aspects of mothers of premature babies and the mother- baby interactions from the testimonials of health professionals of a public maternity. Five participants of the Kangaroo Program underwent a series of interviews, during the hospitalization of the babies. From what was said, three categories were analyzed- mother’s emotions concerning the time when the baby was given birth, in which the participants realized how stressing giving birth to a premature baby can be and how anxious mothers feel, also scared and hopeless when faced to such frailty and instability of the baby. Secondly, emotional aspects of mothers during the hospitalization of the baby, emerged feelings of anxiety, fear, insecurity and overcoming difficulties and to the interviewed, in this period, mothers go through an unstable mood that varies from an anxious and insecure personality to a hopeful and secure one. Finally, in the category of interactions between mother-baby in the Kangaroo mother care method, all the participants affirmed that this method facilitates such interactions.

Key words: health staff, mothers of premature babies, Kangaroo mother care method.