Mothers of chronically ill neonates and primary nurses in the NICU: transfer of care.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between nurse and mother during the ill neonate's hospitalization and examine how this relationship influenced the mother's parenting of her infant during the hospitalization. Using qualitative methods, we separately interviewed ten mothers and nine primary nurses about their relationships, their views on each other, and the mothers' infant care. The tape-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim, themes were extracted, and categories were developed for coding the data. As issues emerged, they were further explored in follow-up interviews. We identified four stages in the process of transferring the care of the infant from nurse to mother. The mother-nurse relationships were influenced by both the nurses' and the mothers' typical interactional patterns. Nurses had definite ideas about who was an "ideal" mother. To the mothers, the nurses' competence and caring attitude toward their infants were most important. The process by which the nurse and mother interact to provide care for the infant and alter their roles during the course of the hospitalization is linked to various factors and aspects of the nurse-mother relationship.