NEONATAL ICU: what mothers say

The present study has as objective to analize the percepcion of mothers of preterm babies with very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight under the process of hospitalization of their infants in a neonatal intensive therapy unit (NITU). Ten mothers of premature newborn infants hospitalized in a reference maternity in the execution of the Kangaroo Method, located in Florianópolis – SC participated of the research. The instruments used for the data gathering were the sociodemographic data record to trace the profile of the partcipants; and a semi structured interview script to explore some unfoldings about the experience of the hospitalization of their infants in the NITU, among them, the gestational and hospitalization process. The results suggests that these mothers experience an oscilation of feelings motivated by insecurity and fear, considering the clinical complications and the health situation of their infants. They also evidenced that the birth of a premature baby causes many modifications in the familiar life, specially of the mothers who takes on the role of accompany in the hospital unit, expressing the need of support, considering that sometimes, they leave their other infants under the care of another person and their further activities. Finally, it pointed out the importance of the care lined in the principles of humanization, meaning not only the care of preterm babies, but, of these mothers and families that find themselves fragilized due the lived experience, as well.