Preparedness of mothers with premature with preterm infants regarding discharge

Abstract

Premature birth remains a major global public health concern. Mothers of preterm infants face particular challenges, especially after hospital discharge when they must independently care for their children. Maternal self-confidence is a crucial factor in infant development, strongly influences the experience of the maternal role, and plays an important role in the formation of the mother–child relationship. The aim of our research was to find out what kind of information preterm mothers receive during their hospital stay regarding the care of their baby, and how confident they are in performing care activities in the period before returning home. Our findings indicate that nearly half of the mothers did not receive adequate information during hospitalization. In most cases, education focused primarily on basic caregiving activities (e.g., feeding, diapering, safe holding). More advanced aspects of home care – such as medication administration, management of fever, and basic resuscitation knowledge – were addressed less frequently. A significant association was found between maternal confidence levels and the mode of information delivery. Mothers who were given hands-on instruction and the opportunity to independently practice caregiving reported higher levels of confidence. The quality and method of information transfer play a key role in strengthening maternal confidence.