Current Volume 8
Maternal Care Practices for Preterm Infants after Discharge from Two Teaching Hospitals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria: A Mixed-Methods Approach
Abstract
Preterm infants require specialized care following discharge from the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). Mothers are expected to learn and practice thermal care (Kangaroo Mother Care, KMC), exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), hand hygiene (infection control), and growth monitoring/vigilance. However, there is scarcity of evidence on the practices by mothers in specific geographical and cultural contexts. Aim: To examine maternal care practices for preterm infants at 3- and 6-months post-discharge from SCBUs in two teaching hospitals in Port Harcourt. Methods: A convergent parallel mixed-method design was employed. The qualitative arm included 30 mothers, selected via purposive sampling, while the quantitative arm followed 170 mother-infant pairs using consecutive sampling. Data were collected through interviews and a validated self-report questionnaire (r = 0.81). Thematic content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon approach) was used for qualitative data, while descriptive and chi-square statistics (5% significance level) were applied to quantitative data using NVivo and SPSS 25, respectively. Results: Fifteen themes and 46 subthemes emerged from qualitative analysis. Between 3- and 6-months post-discharge, EBF declined significantly from 97.0% to 77.7%, KMC from 68.9% to 39.2%, and hand hygiene from 92.2% to 41.6%, while growth monitoring remained stable. EBF reduced morbidity risk by 92% (RR = 0.08, p < 0.001), and weekly growth monitoring reduced risk by 87% (RR = 0.13, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Maternal adherence to EBF, KMC, and hand hygiene declined significantly by 6 months post-discharge. Strengthening public health education is essential to sustain optimal preterm infant care practices.
Keywords
Breast Feeding, Hand Hygiene, Infant, Kangaroo-Mother Care Method, Mothers, Premature
Citations
IRE Journals:
Elvorah Wilson Opoto, MSN , Daprim Samuel Ogaji, PhD , Elsie Ososese Ugege, PhD , Prof. Peace Opara
"Maternal Care Practices for Preterm Infants after Discharge from Two Teaching Hospitals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria: A Mixed-Methods Approach" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 8 Issue 10 2025 Page 339-351
IEEE:
Elvorah Wilson Opoto, MSN , Daprim Samuel Ogaji, PhD , Elsie Ososese Ugege, PhD , Prof. Peace Opara
"Maternal Care Practices for Preterm Infants after Discharge from Two Teaching Hospitals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria: A Mixed-Methods Approach" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 8(10)
About IRE Journals
IRE Journals is an open access online journals established with an aim to publish high quality of research work in various diciplines. We have more than 6 years in publications. Over 2500+ papers already published.
Important Links
For Authors
Volume 7:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 6:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 5:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 4:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 3:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12