A vivência dos pais de recém-nascidos prematuros hospitalizados e a pandemia de covid-19

Abstract

Introduction: The birth of a child is a period of transition and transformation for the family, especially when it requires hospitalization due to the birth of a premature child. The formation of the family is a significant moment in the lives of parents. The confirmation of the pregnancy, the gestation and the birth itself create expectations, which requires from the parents changes and a reorganization of their lives, looking for an adaptation to become capable of providing care to the child, especially when they have to deal with the situation of prematurity. These factors combined with the moment of the Covid-19 pandemic can be difficult for the newborns' families, being very important the care provided and the instructions given in the neonatal units and preparation for dismissal. Objective: To analyze the experience of premature newborn parents hospitalized in a Neonatal Unit in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic. Methods: Qualitative study with parents of hospitalized premature newborns born in a reference maternity hospital in the states of Piauí and Maranhão. The research took place in May 2022 using a semi-structured interview script, which included data related to the sociodemographic and socioeconomic profile, clinical data of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as questions related to the experience of parents with hospitalized children during the Covid-19 pandemic. Final considerations: The Covid 19 pandemic brought about several changes in relation to perinatal care, with changes implemented in the maternity hospital/UTIN as a way to ensure adequate care and avoid transmission by the coronavirus and which ended up significantly influencing the participants' experience.The interviewees highlighted in their speeches the importance of prevention methods, tracking of symptoms, and the prohibition of being accompanied inside the Neonatal Unit. It was observed that the pandemic scenario exacerbated the feelings of anxiety and anguish experienced by parents together with the fear of contamination by the coronavirus; however, no emphasis on the fear of the Covid-19 pandemic or the risk of transmission to the premature was observed. It was also noticed that the Covid-19 pandemic, in part, did not harm the assistance in the Neonatal Unit, because even through situations of fear, anxiety and morbid mortality, the health professionals tried to assure a humanized attention and an assistance according to the instituted norms that determined an adequate and safe assistance, in face of the moment experienced by the Covid-19 pandemic.