Ambiguous loss and post-traumatic growth: Experiences of mothers whose school-aged children were born extremely prematurely

Journal of Clinical Nursing
Caroline Wilson, Catherine Cook

Abstract

To develop insight into the experiences of mothers whose school-aged children were born extremely prematurely. Extreme prematurity, where infants are born at 28 weeks or earlier, has significant initial maternal impact in terms of distress, uncertainty and disruption to maternal identity. However, little is known about the experiences of these mothers beyond their child's infancy. A qualitative study was undertaken using thematic analysis, drawing on a cluster of social constructionist theories that have been applied to studies investigating mothers' early preterm or childhood disability experiences. The study involved face-to-face interviews with nine mothers whose children were born prior to 28 weeks and were now aged between 4-to-7 years old. Participants described a prolonged period of anxiety, and relative isolation due to infection fears and complex care regimes. Although they grieved their different mothering trajectory, they celebrated their children's successes and noted their own resilience. The following themes were identified: traumatic beginnings; dialectics and the horror-miracle contradiction; labour-intensive parenting and managing the multidisciplinary team; stigma and storying the meaning of premature birth; a...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 29, 2020·Advances in Neonatal Care : Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses·Megan QuinnJanice D Crist
Jun 5, 2019·Journal of Clinical Nursing·Ulrika WiddingAijaz Farooqi
Nov 24, 2020·Frontiers in Psychology·Sarah Van HaekenAnnick Bogaerts

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