ABSTRACT
Objective:
To analyze maternal care for siblings of preterm babies hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Method:
Qualitative research using symbolic interactionism as a theoretical reference and narrative research as a methodological reference. Ten mothers were surveyed through semi-structured interviews.
Results:
Three thematic units emerged from the analysis of data: “social support in the sharing of child care”; “promotion of adaptation to the arrival of a sibling” and “maternal feelings and coping”.
Final considerations:
Care for the premature child’s sibling is developed under mothers’ physical distance from him/her, justified by the need to remain close to the premature child due to risks and fragility related to the condition.
Descriptors:
Infant, Premature; Child Care; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Mother-Child Relations; Maternal Behavior