Difficulties for Mothers: Home Care of Babies Born Preterm

Abstract

Mothers who had preterm labor were expected to face difficulties with baby care during the postnatal period. This study aimed to review studies on difficulties experienced by mothers who had premature labor regarding childcare at home during the postnatal period. The literature review was carried out between 2000 and 2019 in databases of PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane library, ULAKBIM, Google Scholar, and EMBASE. Mothers who had preterm labor experienced difficulties with diaper use, bathing, umbilical cord care, baby feeding, skin-to-skin contact, and recognition of newborn crying. Therefore, mothers need the support of health professionals for the health status of the newborn and their lack of self-confidence regarding baby care. However, the lack of home care guidelines leaves mothers helpless in meeting these needs. Mothers should be ready for the care of babies born preterm. For this reason, mothers who had preterm labor should be informed about the potential difficulties during their stay in the hospital. Mothers also need to be educated about the care of infants born preterm in the postnatal period. Thus, mothers can experience the home care process positively by becoming fully prepared to take the responsibility for home care. Developing clinical guidelines for postnatal care of babies born preterm can help reduce the concerns of mothers, shorten hospital stay, and reduce morbidity risks.

Keywords

• preterm labor
• prematurity
• baby care
• difficulties