Mothers’ experiences of neonatal intensive care: A systematic review and implications for clinical practice

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.