Attending the birth of newborns with disfiguring malformation: the nurse’s experience

Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the nurse’s experience for attending babies with visible congenital disfigurement in the context of delivery room. Methods: The study consisted of qualitative survey and collective case study; for data analysis, the symbolic interactionism theoretical framework was used. The sample was composed by nurses working at the birth center of a public hospital in the southern district of the city of São Paulo. Data was obtained by a semi-structured interview, which was tape-recorded, transcribed and analyzed. Rresults: Based on data analysis, conceptual categories were identified and comprised two themes: sharing the newborn care with medical staff and assuming the responsibility of the mother-infant care. Cconclusions: The results point out the difficulties faced by the nurses when delivering care to babies who have visible congenital disfigurement, due to their inappropriate training on the nurse-patient relationship and the difficulties to deal with their own emotions