Mothers' perspectives on infant death: an investigation beyond the statistics
Goulart, Lúcia.Maria.Horta.de.Figueiredo.; Somarriba, Mês.Gomes.; Xavier, César.Coelho.
Cadernos de Saude Publica 21(3): 715-723
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0102-311X PMID: 15868029 DOI: 10.1590/s0102-311x2005000300005Document Number: 256391
This qualitative study was conducted in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, focusing on infant death from the mothers' perspective. Sixteen mothers whose infants had died were interviewed. Mothers' narratives were analysed by classifying such categories as perceptions of health-illness-death, the physician-patient relationship, and quality of care. Discontinuity between prenatal and childbirth care, wandering from one hospital to another to receive care, and lack of communication with health care professionals were situations reported by the women. Feelings such as fear, solitude, abandonment, insecurity, and disempowerment were also evidenced. The inequity of rights was a dominant theme which permeated many narratives, revealing a process of exclusion for mothers and their children as users of the public health system.