Indonesian mothers of premature infants experiences in achieving initial motherhood independence in the neonatal unit: A qualitative study

Objective: To explore Indonesian mothers experiences in achieving initial independence motherhood in the neonatal unit of the national referral hospital in eastern Indonesia. Methods: Descriptive phenomenology was used. Eight purposively sampled mothers of preterm infants participated. Each had a preterm infant who had been discharged from the neonatal unit and had been hospitalized for at least one week. In-depth interviews were conducted in Bahasa Indonesia and audio-recorded. The recordings were transcribed verbatim, translated in English and back-translated to Bahasa to ensure meanings did not deviate from original intentions. Thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006) was performed to analyze the data. Result: Three themes emerged from the analysis describing how mothers achieved initial independence in the neonatal unit: (1) New reality of entering motherhood; (2) Upside-down emotional swings in parenting in the neonatal unit; and (3) Health service's role for initial motherhood independence achievement. Initial motherhood independence was achieved through early participation in care, support from others, and health service program. Emotional and physical interaction throughout participation in daily care assisted with establishing mother-infant relationships and maternal role attainment. Conclusions: Neonatal nurses can facilitate this process by providing psychological support, communication, health education, and empowering mothers to participate in care using mentoring approaches.