Vivencia de madres de prematuros con oxígeno en un programa madre canguro de Bogotá, Colombia

Preterm birth is considered a public health problem and responsible for a high neonatal morbidity and mortality. A large percentage of premature infants require oxygen and mechanical ventilation to meet their physiological needs, and about 40% of them are discharged from neonatal units to kangaroo mother programs. Objective: To describe the experiences of mothers of babies with oxygen admitted to a kangaroo mother program, from their cultural context. Materials and methods: Qualitative, ethnographic study, a semi-structured interview was applied to nineteen mothers of babies with oxygen, aged between 16-38 years. Results: four categories: identification of respiratory alarm signs and care of equipment at home; adaptation to handling with oxygen; relationship with cultural setting and attendance at oximetry controls, which arose from the interview analysis process. Conclusions: the mothers stated that they received training on identifying respiratory warning signs and oxygen equipment care before discharge, expressed feelings such as fear, worry, fatigue and nerves to face new challenges, indicated that babies need “extreme care”, They reported difficulties the first night at home to manage oxygen and how important it is to be confident and do “things right”, but they also felt joy in having their babies at home.