From powerlessness to empowerment: Mothers expect more than information from the prenatal consultation for preterm labour

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend supportive care for all newborns >26 weeks' gestational age and recognize the importance of prenatal consultation by a neonatalogist for mothers at risk of premature delivery. These recommendations are drawn from medical expert opinions and emphasize informing parents about prematurity. The literature regarding parents' perspectives of prenatal consultation is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To explore mothers' concerns about preterm labour and their expectations from the prenatal consultation with a neonatologist. METHODS: Interviews of women hospitalized for preterm labour (26 to 32 weeks' gestation) were conducted before they met with the neonatologist. The analysis was informed by grounded theory. RESULTS: The women's stressful experience was their main focus; they expressed a strong sense of loss of control and powerlessness. The consultation was perceived as an added source of stress, but they all hoped that it would reassure them. They wanted information about prematurity and the roles they would play for their baby. They expected the neonatologist to be supportive, open and trustworthy. CONCLUSION: Prenatal consultation is perceived as a source of both stress and reassurance. Women believe the latter can be achieved through a supportive consultation with the neonatologist, during which tools providing them with a sense of empowerment are presented.