Experience of mothers with very low birth weight infant

극소체중아 어머니의 경험

A phenomenological study is conducted to investigate the experience of mothers with very low birth weight. Sample of 8 mothers participate. Seven theme clusters emerge when the formulated meanings were organized into categories. The participants are 8 mothers who gave birth in the general hospital located in Kyunggi-Province and still live there. The data are collected from the intensive interviews on the experience of mothers whose baby is very low birth weight infant. Data collection is through in depth personal interviews two or three times with each mother. On the basis of the meanings of the experience of mothers with very low birth weight infant, the seven essential themes have been obtained Theme 1:Being surprised and perplexed due to the unexpected sudden delivery Theme 2:Experiencing emotional pain such as anxiety, sorrow, fear, confusion and self-blaming caused by a small and feeble baby. Theme 3: Pouring all their time and efforts into the baby under the acute tension Theme 4:Undergoing intolerable difficulties in confronting reality `Theme 5:Raising the special infant into an normal one by themselves Theme 6: Being on the vigilance for their baby even though they can be relieved Theme 7:Finding out a reward for the difficulties they have experienced The results obtained in this study will enable us to comprehensively understand the experience by mothers whose baby is very low birth weight infant and furthermore to provide a new insight which helps baby.