Experiences and perceptions of first-time mothers who conceived with assisted reproductive technology and subsequently had infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit

Date
2019
Authors
Oshiro, Kiyomi
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Shannon, Maureen
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Nursing
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Background: The evolution of modern reproductive technology and the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) have increased dramatically worldwide, making pregnancy possible for many infertile couples. However, since ART was established and the prevalence of the utilization of ART treatment to achieve conception has increased and become more complex, one of the most important consequences has been premature births. As a result, an increasing number of women who have successfully conceived after undergoing ART give birth to preterm infants, and these infants, in all likelihood, require admission to and some length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for special care after birth. Nevertheless, no study has focused on mothers who conceived as a result of ART treatments/procedures and who, subsequently, had infants that required admission to the NICU. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences, perceptions, and coping strategies of mothers who underwent ART and gave birth to infants who required admission to the NICU. Method: A qualitative descriptive approach was used to explore the emic experiences, perceptions, and coping processes of ART first-time mothers when their infants were admitted to the NICU. This study employed open-ended questions to explore and interpret meaningful themes. The interview data were transcribed and analyzed using an iterative process in order to identify common themes. Findings: Nine women meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited and enrolled in the study. Data analysis revealed four themes that reflected common perceptions and experiences of the participants. The participants in this study provided some new information about these mothers’ unique experiences and perceptions, as well as some similarities with the experiences of non-ART mothers whose infants had NICU stays. Many of the mothers indicated that undergoing ART was a really traumatic experience, and, for a few, having an infant in the NICU was a less traumatic experience because the ART treatment had created more intense feelings of distress. Some of the mothers stated that the exposure to the technology and procedures (e.g., injections) that were a part of their ART treatments helped their adjustment to having their infants in the NICU. Other mothers indicated that watching their infants experience injections and invasive procedures, or have routine equipment used to assess their well-being (e.g., monitors), was more uncomfortable and upsetting due to their ART experiences. The new finding indicated that, for mothers who required ART treatment and had viable births but whose infants needed special care in the NICU, their experiences of stress and ways of coping focused on adapting to a new unfamiliar environment while transitioning to motherhood.
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Nursing, Assisted reproductive technology (ART), IVF, maternal experiences, maternal mental status, maternal perception, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
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132 pages
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