Objetivou-se investigar os sentimentos de mães diante do óbito neonatal do filho. Estudo qualitativo, exploratório-descritivo, cujos sujeitos foram 11 mães com filhos internados em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal, de um hospital público de Fortaleza-CE, que evoluíram para o óbito neonatal. Os dados foram coletados em outubro e novembro de 2010 mediante entrevista semiestruturada e organizados em três categorias: Sentimentos das mães diante do óbito neonatal, Suporte familiar e Assistência de enfermagem às mães, analisadas à luz da Teoria Humanística de Enfermagem de Paterson e Zderad. Mágoa, ressentimento, luto, perda, culpa foram alguns dos sentimentos demonstrados pelas mães. Concluiu-se que a enfermagem demonstrou-se presente no momento do luto das mães pesquisadas.
The aim of this study was to investigate the feelings of mothers facing the death of her newborn child and describe the family support as well as nursing care to the mothers. This is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study. The subjects were 11 mothers with children hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a public hospital in Fortaleza, who had a neonatal death. Data was collected in October and November 2010 through a semi-structured interview and organized into three categories: Feelings of mothers throughout the neonatal period; Family support; and Nursing assistance to mothers, seen in light of Humanistic Nursing Theory of Paterson and Zderad. Sorrow, resentment, grief, loss, guilt were some of the feelings demonstrated by some of the mothers. It was concluded that nursing was present in this moment of mothers' grief.
