Care provision to children in the context of the life of nurses as mothers - an exploratory study

Abstract

Aim: To understand the process of providing child care in the life of mothers working as nurses. Methods: An exploratory descriptive study with a qualitative approach and “snowball” methodological technique in order to select 10 nurses/mothers. Data collection occurred from November 2011 to January 2012 through semi-structured interviews and content analysis. Results: Two categories were found: [1] experiences of motherhood and maternal nurses; [2] professional practice and the process of raising children. Discussion: The personhood of the act of providing care, derived from the experience of being a mother, was evidenced by the anguish observed due to the need of delegating the care of the child in order to devote attention to patients. Conclusion: Women suffer the pressure related to their profession and to the proper care which sometimes can not be implemented, in their lives and in the provision of care to their own children.