Qualitative interview with mothers of moderately or late preterm infants in the UK: where are the care gaps?

INTRODUCTION

Preterm birth (<37 gestational weeks) accounts for an increasing proportion of global births each year, with moderately or late preterm birth (MLPT) (32-36 gestational weeks) comprising over 80% of all preterm births. Despite the frequency, MLPT births represent only a small fraction of prematurity research, with research exploring the parental experiences of having a child born MLPT particularly neglected. It is vital this perspective is considered to provide appropriate grounding for future research and service provision.

METHODS

Six mothers from the UK of infants (aged between 18 and 36 months) born MLPT were invited to take part in a semistructured qualitative interview study. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to explore the data and codes were then conceptualised through a process of inductive reasoning to identify patterns of meaning.

RESULTS

Five themes are presented that are conceptualised from the data: (1) the moderate or later preterm 'label-does it matter?, (2) vulnerability within a new role, (3) coming home and wanting to start 'normal' life, (4) comparisons to provide a reference to experiences and (5) experience of professionals throughout the pregnancy, newborn and early years journey.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings offer in-depth evidence surrounding mothers' experiences of healthcare throughout pregnancy and immediately after birth, perceptions of the 'preterm' label and thoughts on how mothers reflect on their experiences. Future research should show an awareness of the broader family context when interpreting findings and providing suggestions for future research avenues or service provision.