Challenges mothers identify in bottle feeding their preterm infants.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the challenges mothers identify in bottle feeding their preterm infants prior to discharge from the NICU.


METHODS
Mothers bottle fed their infants in the NICU while being videotaped. Following the feeding, a semifocused interview was conducted with the mother using playback of the videotaped feeding to enhance exploration of the experience of feeding.


METHODS
The participants were 22 mothers of preterm infants (< or = 1,500 grams).


METHODS
Mothers' challenges in feeding preterm infants.


RESULTS
Mothers identified three major categories of challenge: ensuring safety during the feeding, ensuring adequate intake of calories, and advancing the feeding plan once home. Mothers described strategies they used to meet these challenges and discussed the implications some of these strategies held for them.
Thoyre
S M
SM
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-7460, USA.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012449:Safety; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014743:Videotape Recording