Persistence of maternal concerns surrounding neonatal jaundice: an exploratory study

To explore whether mothers currently express concerns about neonatal jaundice and perceive it as a serious condition; if so, to identify factors influencing these perceptions; and to elicit maternal recommendations for improved health care interactions.

Ethnographic interviews using grounded theory methods. Audiotaped data were transcribed and analyzed for themes using a qualitative data analysis software program.

University and community hospitals.

Forty-seven Spanish- and English-speaking breastfeeding mothers of otherwise healthy infants with a diagnosis of neonatal jaundice and treated in inpatient and/or outpatient settings.

None.

Qualitative descriptions of maternal experiences with neonatal jaundice.

Mothers continued to voice concerns about jaundice and perceive it as serious. They expressed misconceptions, wished to have jaundice explained further, and offered suggestions to improve communications with medical staff. Guilt was common, with mothers believing that they had caused the jaundice. Mothers voiced alarm about the yellow skin and discomfort about jaundice management and worried about perceived short- and long-term effects. Maternal perceptions were exacerbated by cultural differences, language barriers, and subtlety of language and its meaning. Key factors in creating perceptions of jaundice as serious included unexpectedness of and lack of knowledge about jaundice, quality of information received, levels of intervention, and prolonged duration of illness and yellow color. Interactions with health care professionals and other mothers with personal experience with jaundice were important mediators in the way mothers reacted to information.

Practitioners need to address these persisting misconceptions and concerns about neonatal jaundice with mothers.