This study sought to investigate perceptions and feelings in primiparous mothers with HIV/AIDS, about motherhood, infant development and the mother-infant relationship, during pregnancy and in the third month of life. Five seropositive mothers participated, aged between 19 and 37. Interviews were conducted to investigate the various aspects of pregnancy and motherhood. An analysis of content was carried out based on three categories: experience of motherhood; infant development; mother-infant relationship. The results indicated concerns about possible infections of the baby, the fear of prejudice and the frustration of not being able to breastfeed. However, satisfaction with motherhood, interaction with the baby and infant development prevailed. HIV/AIDS does not necessarily have a negative impact on motherhood and the mother-infant relationship, especially when the support of the family, a positive relationship with their own mothers and access to treatment are present. The importance of psychological interventions that may help these mothers to cope, faced with the anxieties associated with HIV/AIDS and motherhood, is discussed.
Human-immunodeficiency-virus; Motherhood; Mother-child relations
