South Korean nurses’ lived experiences supporting maternal postpartum bonding in the neonatal intensive care unit

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Preterm birth and admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can disrupt the parent-infant bonding relationship. Although neonatal nurses are in the best position to support maternal postpartum bonding in the NICU, few qualitative studies have described their challenges, strategies, and lived experiences. Methods: This study aimed to explore and understand the experiences and perspectives of nurses supporting infants hospitalized in the NICU and their families in relation to the bonding process. We conducted a qualitative study using interpretive phenomenological analysis with 12 in-depth, semi-structured interviews recorded and transcribed verbatim between April and November 2018. We thematically analysed the data using NVivoTM software. Results: Two themes emerged: (1) Being a bridge between separated mothers and infants (five subthemes); (2) Challenges in providing supportive care for maternal postpartum bonding in the NICU (three subthemes). Conclusions: Nurses have a variety of experiences regarding maternal postpartum bonding; however, the clinical reality of NICUs limits support for bonding formation. Although nurses face challenges (e.g., institutional policies, insufficient resources, training) when supporting maternal postpartum bonding, they act as the bridge between mothers and infants, becoming advocates for NICU families and taking care of their growth and developmental needs as caregivers.

KEYWORDS:

• Preterm infant
• neonatal intensive care units
• mother-child relations
• object attachment
• qualitative research
• family nursing

Acknowledgments

Not Applicable.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Not Applicable

Data deposition

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Geolocation information

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Additional information

Funding

The authors have no funding to report.

Notes on contributors

Sun Young You

Sun Young You is a professor at Sungshin Women’s University with special interest in qualitative research, health in elderly people with dementia, and child care.

Ah Rim Kim

Ah Rim Kim is a professor in child health nursing at Far East University with special interest in family centred care and health in high-risk infants, children, and adolescents.