Phototherapy: the feelings of mothers of newborns undergoing this therapy

Abstract

This qualitative study phenomenological and aimed to understand the feelings of mothers of newborns undergoing phototherapy at a midsize hospital located in the state of Minas Gerais. The subjects were six mothers whose newborns were in phototherapy treatment at the hospital. Data were collected through structured interviews conducted between June and August 2010. The data analysis allowed the construction of the following units: a lack of knowledge about the disease and phototherapy, separation of the mother-child and feeling the experience of mothers phototherapy. It is observed that the lack of knowledge about jaundice and how their treatment is performed triggers feelings of anxiety and insecurity among the mothers. Technical aspects of therapy, especially the use of goggles by the newborn during phototherapy and the spacing between mother and child during treatment, were considered as causes of distress in mothers not to allow visual and physical contact as his children. Health professionals should be concerned to provide a humanized, involving mothers in caring for newborns even in phototherapy, so as to reduce their suffering and promote the strengthening of the emotional bond between mother and child.