Com quantas semanas nasce um bebê? a construção da parentalidade entre mãe-criança prematura acompanhadas em programa de estimulação precoce

Abstract

Prematurity is one of the main causes of infant mortality around the world, which worsens in the contexts of poverty and social vulnerability. To parents, the birth of a high-risk premature child triggers a series of worries and fears towards the unknown, which remain since the feared days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), untiltheir return home when parents fear the aggravation of the baby or possible death. In this regard, it is important to consider interventions that place the family at the center, aiding them throughout the baby stimulation and facilitating the healthy exercise of parenting. Given this context, the aim of this study was to comprehend how parental practices are established between mothers and high-risk preterm children, from 0 to 3 years of age, that received follow-up in an early stimulation service located in Fortaleza - Ceará. Participatory photography technique (Photovoice) associated with in-depth interview was used in this qualitative research, which was conducted along with a group of 10 mothers. The data were transcribed and analyzed from a hermeneutic phenomenological perspective. Thematic categories were generated, including: Being born before the gestation period of the preterm infant; Gestation and the first bonds in the NICU; Parental care: challenges facing prematurity; Early stimulation: An early intervention. It was concluded with this research that the multidisciplinary and humanized follow-up with parents of preterm infants aids in establishing healthy parental practices, in encouraging early stimulation and, consequently, in increasing the development of the premature infant.