The study aimed to understand 'why' the mother remains in hospital during the hospitalization of the premature child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This was conducted with twelve mothers of premature infants in a municipal maternity hospital in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. We have adopted as a methodological support the Alfred Schütz's sociological phenomenology. The phenomenological interview was the technique used to capture the context of mothers living in the hospital, understanding that their stay is linked to their role of being a mother. The life experience of these women is reported as difficult, sad and full of conflicts. We concluded that the mother presence is more frequent, but are not included in this intensive reality. Thus, we believe it is necessary to change this paradigm incorporating a humanized care by inserting the mother and her family in the neonatal environment.
Mothers; Accommodation; Neonatal Nursing; Neonatology; Premature