The difficult first week at home with a premature infant

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Nursing
• Maternal-Infant Health
• Pediatric Care

Background:

• Caring for high-risk premature infants presents unique challenges for mothers post-discharge.
• Understanding maternal support needs is crucial for successful infant home care and maternal well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors contributing to the difficulty mothers experience during the first week after their premature infant's hospital discharge.
• To explore the role of community health nurses and specific infant characteristics in maternal adjustment.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive study surveying 56 mothers of high-risk premature infants.
• Data analysis included correlation coefficients and Fisher's exact test to identify significant factors.
• Variables examined included infant birth weight, gestational age, illness severity, hospital stay length, and healthcare professional visits.

Main Results:

• 48% of mothers reported the first week post-discharge as difficult.
• Higher infant prematurity (birth weight, gestational age) and greater illness severity correlated with increased maternal difficulty.
• Community health nurse visits during the first week were associated with reduced perceived difficulty, though less frequent for very low-birth-weight infants.

Conclusions:

• Infant characteristics and healthcare support significantly influence maternal adjustment to home care for premature infants.
• Targeted nursing interventions and support are vital during the critical first week post-discharge.
• Further research should address disparities in community health nurse visits for vulnerable infant populations.