MATERNAL ROLE DURING CHILD'S HOSPITALIZATION IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE THERAPY UNIT

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the experience of motherhood during the hospitalization period of the newborn in a neonatal intensive care unit. Method: a descriptive and exploratory research, with a qualitative approach, based on the Maternal Role Attainment Theory. A semi-structured interview was conducted in June 2018 with 23 mothers of newborns in a neonatal therapy unit of a public teaching hospital in the state of Ceará (Brazil). The method for data analysis was the Descending Hierarchical Classification based on the Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires software. Results: with the codings and analysis of the empirical material, it was found that mothers presented negative feelings such as fear, sadness and anguish. Consolidated feelings were based on experiences faced by these women, making it difficult to exercise the maternal role in the neonatal intensive care unit. Conclusion: data from this research signaled at the lack of maternal protagonism considered important by the theory used, so that the bond between mother and child is established in the neonatal intensive care unit.