“The Lived Experiences Of Mothers In Neonatal Intensive Care Units Having Newborns: A Phenomenological Study”

Abstract

Background: The admission of a newborns in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an emotionally devastating event to mothers. It interferes with maternal expectations, disrupts the bonding process and in most cases, evokes anxiety, guilt, and helplessness. These experienced emotional experiences should be understood to deliver comprehensive and compassionate nursing care. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine and narrate lived emotional experiences of mothers with newborns that were admitted to the NICU through a phenomenological approach. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological research design was used. Through purposive sampling, fifty mothers whose newborns were taken to the NICU of a tertiary care hospital were selected. The data were gathered by using semi-structured in-depth interview in a private environment. The audio-taped interviews were transcribed word-to-word and analysed under Colaizzi method to determine the emerging patterns and themes of emotional experience.Findings: The analysis showed that there were 5 key themes namely: (1) Emotional turbulence-feelings of fear, anxiety, and helplessness; (2) Disrupted maternal identity-sense of inadequacy and guilt; (3) Hope and faith as coping strategies; (4) Need to communicate and have support by the healthcare professionals; and (5) Emotional adaptation and resilience over time. According to mothers, emotional distress was significantly decreased by empathy, clear information and participation in infant care. Findings: The results point to the fact that mothers of infants in the NICU experience a complicated emotional process with distress, uncertainty, and slow adjustment. Introducing family-centred care, emotional counselling, and regular communication in NICU units is able to significantly improve maternal well-being and encouraging positive coping.