Purpose: This research aims to explore the psychological processes of postpartum mothers during the
admission of their newborns to the intensive care unit. It is hoped that the findings from this study will
serve as a reference for clinical medical staff in providing individual and holistic patient care.
Methods: Using grounded theory methodology, we collected data through semistructured, one-to-one
in-depth interviews. When data saturation occurred, 12 participants were involved through the constant
comparative analysis process.
Results: The psychological processes consisted of a core category and three main categories. The core
category was “worrying about the baby and striving to fulfill maternal responsibilities.” The three main
categories were as follows: “impact on the maternal role,” “recognition of the maternal identity,” and
“exhibition of maternal role.” The entire process may be affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as
breast milk supply, timing of skin-to-skin contact, seriousness of the newborn's health conditions, the
support system, and the style of postpartum confinement care.
Conclusion: It is recommended that the neonatal intensive care unit should adopt family-centered care,
taking an initiative to empathize and care for the mother, assisting skin-to-skin contact for the mother
and baby as soon as possible, maintaining established breastfeeding, providing the correct concept of
postpartum care, and encouraging participation in support groups. These activities can reduce the impact
of the situation on the maternal role and improve maternal identity recognition.