The objective of this qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study is to better understand the deficits of self-care among pregnant women/ mothers with newborns with HIV/AIDS and the factors that influence engagement with self-care. The study was carried out with ten pregnant women/mothers of newborns with HIV who use the Specialized Service for STD/Aids in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data was collected through a focus group and individual interviews, using a semi-structured script. After analyzing the data through content analysis, the following results were reached: the pregnant women/ mothers of newborns with HIV present deficits to self-care related to nutrition and feeding, water ingestion, sleep and rest, sexual life, leisure and recreation, and social interaction. They live so continuously with factors that contribute to engaging in self-care as factors that make this process difficult. Even with these difficulties, the pregnant women/ mothers of newborns have been able to survive into the isolation, the prejudice, receiving a support from their families and from the health care team, especially from nurses.
Women; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; HIV-positive; Self-care; Nursing