OBJECTIVES: increase the understanding of the different ways low income families deal with a preterm baby aiming at the improvement of the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). METHOD: qualitative study performed in the city of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, in 2004 with the interview of 19 mothers before and 22 mothers following the implementation of the KMC. The design of the interviews included open questions to obtain information on how mothers tended their low weight babies, household arrangements and other measures they resorted to. The Grounded Theory Method Approach was used for analysis. RESULTS: the need to care for other children seems to be one of the main KMC constraints. In comparison to mothers interviewed before the program's implementation, the mothers using the KMC were younger, had more schooling, no other children and reported less difficulty in breastfeeding their babies. CONCLUSIONS: the KMC offer in a maternity in the outskirts of São Paulo reflects positive effects on breastfeeding. The tendency of nuclear families hinders women's participation in the program. Awareness of the limitations and possibilities of each family may contribute to improve the program's implementation.
Low weight newborn babies; Humane care; Breast feeding; Family relations; Qualitative analysis
