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Women with infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) encounter multiple challenges following childbirth, including greater burden of chronic disease and increased risk for depression, compared with women with well infants. At the same time, they are confronted with the trauma of a hospitalized infant while also managing their postpartum recovery. Limited research exists describing the health needs of these women, despite the many numbers living this experience daily. This study aimed to better understand postpartum health needs of women with infants in the NICU in the 90 days following birth and to propose actionable system improvements to address identified needs.The authors conducted in-depth individual interviews with 50 postpartum women of infants admitted to the NICU at a quaternary care hospital. Eligible women were aged at least 18 years, spoke English or Spanish, and had infants in the NICU longer than 3 days. Interview topics included NICU experience, recommended and desired health care, and suggestions for improvement. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The authors used qualitative description techniques including memo-writing, coding, matrices, diagramming, and team discussion to analyze the data.Women reported significant intrapartum health conditions and concerns (eg, preeclampsia, emergency cesarean birth, anxiety) and described unmet social, emotional, mental, and physical health needs. Unmet practical needs while in the NICU (eg, a place to rest, affordable parking, access to food, childcare) caused considerable burden. Despite disease burden and emergent health needs, few women reported regular monitoring of their postpartum health by maternal health care providers. Women frequently minimized and delayed care for their health needs so as to remain by the infant bedside.Women with infants in the NICU would benefit from patient-centered care that provides greater attention to their postpartum health and recovery while also supporting their drive to remain close to their hospitalized infant.

Background Mothers with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) face a host of challenges following childbirth. Limited information is available on these mothers' postpartum health needs and access to services. Objective To identify health needs of NICU mothers, access to services, and potential service improvements. Design A mixed-methods study including a retrospective cohort study, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Setting Large, Level IV, regional referral, university-affiliated hospital in the United States. Participants Mothers of live-born infants born from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016 (n = 6849). Interviews included 50 NICU mothers and 59 stakeholders who provide services to these mothers or their infants. Measurements Severe maternal morbidity, chronic health conditions, health care encounters from discharge through 12 weeks postpartum, maternal health needs, care access, and system improvements. Results Compared with mothers of well babies, NICU mothers had more chronic diseases, experienced more perinatal complications, and utilized more acute care postpartum. Qualitative analyses revealed the desire to be at the baby's bedside as a driver of maternal health-seeking behaviors, with women not seeking or delaying medical care so as to stay by their infant. Stakeholders acknowledged the unique needs of NICU mothers and cited system challenges, lack of clarity about provider roles, and reimbursement policies as barriers to meeting needs. Limitations The study was conducted within a single health care system, which may limit generalizability. Qualitative analyses did not explore the influence of fathers, other children in the home, or length of NICU stay. Conclusion Universal screening and convenient access to maternal health services for NICU mothers should be explored to reduce adverse maternal health outcomes. Primary funding source Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the burden of perinatal morbidity among mothers of medically fragile infants. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 6849 mothers who delivered liveborn infants at a quaternary care hospital during a two-year period. We compared mothers of well babies with mothers of infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and we used logistic regression to model predictors of postpartum acute care utilization among NICU mothers. RESULTS: Rates of obstetric morbidity were highest for mothers of infants staying ≥72 hours in the NICU; 54.2% underwent cesarean birth, 7.5% experienced severe maternal morbidity, and 6.6% required a blood transfusion. Factors independently associated with postpartum acute care use included gestational age 38C and receiving psychiatric medication during the birth hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Focused support for mothers of NICU infants has the potential to reduce maternal morbidity and improve health.