MATERNAL PERCEPTIONS OF NEONATAL CARE

In a large-scale study of neonatal care in England, hospital and quest ionnaire data were collected on the experiences of an unselected group of 420 mothers whose babies had recently been admitted for neonatal c are to one of 23 widely distributed hospitals. Perceptions of their in fant while in the neonatal unit differed in relation to gestational ag e, whether or not the baby required assisted ventilated, the mother's own health and if she had previously had a baby cared for in this way. This investigation of how mothers see and adjust to their small, sick baby in the neonatal unit confirmed the crisis nature of the birth an d admission, and provides insights for staff and other health professi onals about the salient issues for parents at this time.