Postpartum Health Experiences of Women with Newborns in Intensive Care: The Desire to Be by the Infant Bedside as a Driver of Postpartum Health

Introduction: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Discussion: 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.