Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Aug 26, 2021; 9(24): 7062-7072
Published online Aug 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i24.7062
Mothers’ experiences of neonatal intensive care: A systematic review and implications for clinical practice
Li-Li Wang, Juan-Juan Ma, Hao-Hao Meng, Jie Zhou
Li-Li Wang, Hao-Hao Meng, Department of Pediatrics, Shenzhen Nanshan People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518052, Guangdong Province, China
Juan-Juan Ma, Jie Zhou, Department of Nursing, Shenzhen Shekou People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518067, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Wang LL and Ma JJ carried out the studies, participated in collecting data, and drafted the manuscript; Meng HH and Zhou J performed the statistical analysis and participated in its design; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have nothing to disclose.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Juan-Juan Ma, MSc, Nurse, Department of Nursing, Shenzhen Shekou People’s Hospital, No. 36 Gongyeqi Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518067, Guangdong Province, China. 812406100@qq.com
Received: April 1, 2021
Peer-review started: April 1, 2021
First decision: April 28, 2021
Revised: May 12, 2021
Accepted: July 6, 2021
Article in press: July 6, 2021
Published online: August 26, 2021
Processing time: 144 Days and 13.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Preterm birth is on the rise worldwide. Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have enabled many critically ill newborns to survive. When a premature baby is admitted to the NICU, the mother–infant relationship may be interrupted, affecting the mother's mental health.

AIM

To examine the maternal emotions associated with having a child in the NICU and provide suggestions for clinical practice.

METHODS

MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychARTICLES, and PsychINFO were searched for relevant articles between 2005 to 2019, and six qualitative articles were chosen that explored the experiences of mothers who had a preterm infant in the NICU. The thematic analysis method was used to identify the most common themes.

RESULTS

Four main themes of the experience of mothers who had a preterm infant in the NICU were identified: Negative emotional impacts on the mother, support, barriers to parenting, and establishment of a loving relationship.

CONCLUSION

NICU environment is not conducive to mother-child bonding, but we stipulate steps that health care professionals can take to reduce the negative emotional toll on mothers of NICU babies.

Keywords: Neonatal intensive care units; Preterm infant; Maternal experience; Mother–infant bond; Implication; Systematic review

Core Tip: Mothers had negative experiences when their premature infants were hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU). These experiences are related to such factors as the condition of the infant and the NICU environment. Maternal emotions included shock, feelings of unpreparedness, fear, anxiety, and guilt, and nurses play a significant role in helping the mothers. With the help of family members, health care professionals, and religious beliefs, the mothers also had positive experiences and established loving relationships with their babies. Doctors and nurses in the NICU with appropriate social skills can help parents better understand their child’s condition, potential treatment plans, and prognosis.