Mothers’ Experiences Regarding the Care of Preterm Babies Admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province, and South Africa: A Phenomenological Study

Background Globally, an estimated 13.4 million babies were born prematurely; it is a global health burden that accounts for the death of one million preterm neonates every year. In South Africa, approximately 84,000 preterm babies are born each year. Yet, there is a huge gap in the literature on the experiences of mothers in the care of preterm babies in Limpopo province. Objectives To explore and describe the experiences of the mothers of Pre-term babies admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods A phenomenological research design was used in this study to describe and explore the experiences of mothers caring for preterm babies. This study adopted purposive sampling to select mothers with direct experience in the care of preterm infants in the Intensive Care unit in Capricorn District, Limpopo province. Data were collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews; saturation was reached at participant 12, when no new information emerged. The data were analysed using a thematic approach inspired by Tesch’s qualitative analysis method. Results Four major themes emerged from the study: Anxiety Experience, Trauma Experience, Loss of Hope, and Hospitalization Experience. Mothers reported high levels of anxiety, feeling afraid to hold, feed, or bathe their babies, which hindered early bonding. Initial exposure to their fragile infants triggered feelings of shock, fear, guilt, and emotional trauma. Others described the sense of Hopelessness especially when seeing their babies in critical condition, which led to fearing the worst, making it difficult to bond or remain optimistic. Mothers struggled to adjust to the stressful Intensive Care Unit, strict routines, and prolonged hospital stays, which further impacted their emotional well-being. Discussion Four central themes aligned with the study's aim by conveying emotional and psychological challenges, where anxiety, trauma responses, loss of hope, and challenging hospitalization experiences all compromise mother-infant bonding as well as caregiving belief in a resource-limited NICU. Results emphasize the importance of early mental health interventions and structured educational support to promote maternal coping and involvement in neonatal care. These findings emphasize the need for context-specific, family-centred care support and for health systems change in Limpopo. In summary, the study generates policy-relevant evidence for decision-makers and healthcare providers who are seeking to enhance maternal and newborn health outcomes in low-resource settings Conclusion Mothers of preterm babies admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit face emotional and psychological challenges such as Anxiety, Trauma experiences, Loss of Hope and difficulty in adjusting to a long hospital stay. The study recommends strengthening emotional and psychological support for mothers through regular counseling and peer support programs, as well as family-centered policies.