Experience of Mother on Caring of Children with Low Birth Weight in an Urban Setting, Indonesia: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight is a major public health issue; it causes higher mortality rate among neonatal. Therefore, it is essential for caregivers to know how to save the baby’s life with evidence-based practices at home. The previous studies found that low birth weight mothers had poor awareness caring their babies at home care adequately. AIM: The objective of the study was to explore experience of mothers on caring for children with low birth weight from an urban setting in a low-middle-income country. METHODS: This was a descriptive phenomenological approach. This study was conducted in a rural setting in the Semarang region of Indonesia. Ten mothers whose babies with low birth weight had been discharged from the perinatology care unit in a secondary level hospital and resided in Semarang were interviewed in their homes using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed inductively by content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty mothers aged 20–37 years were interviewed. Most of the babies were moderate to late preterm, and the gestational age at delivery ranged between 33 and 38 weeks gestation, and the birth weights of the babies ranged between 1.4 and 2 kg. Five major themes emerged, which included the psychological response of mothers, sharing information related to the care procedure, breastfeeding, social support, and health-seeking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that home management of low birth weight babies poses multiple needs and is associated with poor quality of care. Hence, extensive education and identification of other social support systems are needed to augment facility-based care for mothers and their babies.