UNC Research Project Care4Moms to Investigate Needs of New Mothers

Health care for new mothers is always complicated and can become even more so when their children must receive intensive care.

A new research team from the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health, entitled Care4Moms, will delve into the world of health care for mothers of medically fragile infants, a group about which there is limited research.

The lead investigator for the project is Alison Stuebe, MD, MSc. She described medically fragile infants as infants who were in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for three or more days after they were born. The mothers of these infants often face heightened health difficulties, she said, which can be difficult to manage while caring for an ill newborn.

“Our goal is to understand how we can better support mothers whose infants are critically ill immediately after birth,” said Stuebe. “Mothers of medically fragile infants must recover from birth while at the bedside of a critically ill newborn. [The challenges they face] are compounded by the fact that data suggest these women are more likely to have birthed by C-section and experienced complications and may have underlying chronic health problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.”

Care4Moms, which has received a grant of $900,000, plans to work to identify and address the needs of mothers with fragile or hospitalized infants. The research team will analyze around 7,000 mothers of infants born at NC Women’s Hospital, comparing the health care of mothers with medically fragile infants to that of mothers with healthy infants, and interviewing both mothers and health care providers about their perceived health care needs. The study is scheduled to last three years.

The UNC School of Medicine has led the way before in researching the needs of mothers. A previous study conducted at the university, led by Sarah Verbiest, DrPH, MSW, MPH, a professor in the Department for Maternal and Child Health, found that the health care challenges of new mothers with medically fragile infants are often related to their mental adjustment to motherhood. The group observed that the main health care needs of the women were family planning, coping with anxiety and depression, and disease management. The new mothers, when offered support in conjunction with clinical care for themselves and their baby, were very receptive. The study’s outcome bodes well for future clinical care for new mothers.

Care4Moms leads the nation in research of postpartum mothers of medically fragile infants. Read more about their mission here.

UNC Research Project Care4Moms to Investigate Needs of New Mothers

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