It aimed at learning about the mother's perception in a hospital and the care of premature newborns at home after the first week of discharge. Descriptive, qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews to collect data, developed in the outpatient follow-up of premature (Follow up) of the State Public Hospital Network of Fortaleza, in October and November 2011. The participants were nine mothers of preterm infants after the first week of discharge. It was applied the analyzis the content for data analysis. The results pointed to the categories: Guidelines on the care of premature infants during discharge; feelings and difficulties with the baby's arrival at home; family support in the care of premature infants. The study showed that some mothers were not instructed interdisciplinary team of neonatology care about the baby after discharge, stressing that they take the baby to the household without being prepared for the new reality.
Neonatal Nursing; Infant Care; Patient Discharge; Professional-Family Relations