- Title
- Regional special care nursery environments : Navigating the role of mother
- Creator
- Knox, Kate; Wellard, Sally; King, Rosemary
- Date
- 2007
- Type
- Text; Conference paper
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/58150
- Identifier
- vital:3327
- Abstract
- Premature birth presents challenges for most mothers assuming a parenting role with their infant. Living in rural and regional areas provides additional hardship due to isolation, distances and limited support services. The predominant focus of research in the area of premature birth has been on the survival of infants. There has been limited investigation of the experiences of women with infants in special care nurseries (SCNs), in regional Australia. The ways in which mothers ‘navigate their way’, physically and emotionally, in SCN environments was the focus of this study. Using a qualitative interpretive design data were collected through in-depth interviews with mothers and analysed thematically. Women related a dislocation in their lives as a result of their infant’s hospitalisation. The nursery space and the various ways space was used to marginalise or sanction mothers was revealed and resulted in women adopting conflicting roles throughout this time. These findings provide direction for developing more supportive environments for parents relying on SCNs for the care of their infant. This study provides new insight into the experiences of women and their environmental sensitivity within SCN settings. Findings will increase regional midwives’ understanding of mothers’ interpretations of the neonatal nursery environment. Insights into maternal perspectives will assist in the provision of better family-centred care and improved outcomes for the vulnerable families of premature infants.
- Publisher
- Albury, New South Wales :
- Relation
- Paper presented at 9th National Rural Health Conference, Albury, New South Wales : 7th-10th March 2007
- Rights
- Open Access
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- Special care nurseries; Premature; Care; Infants; Motherhood; Regional
- Full Text
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