ABSTRACT
Objective:
to understand the woman’s experience of becoming a mother of a child with special needs from cerebral palsy.
Methodology:
this was a qualitative, phenomenological hermeneutic study carried out in a municipality in the north of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with ten mothers who were caring for children/adolescent with cerebral palsy between April and June 2015. Phenomenological interviews were used to collect information. The interpretation included the hermeneutic approach.
Results:
the mother upon receiving the diagnosis of cerebral palsy goes through a reorganization of her habitual way of being-in-the-world to adapt herself to the new existential situation. From that moment on, she started to live according to the child’s care.
Conclusions:
This study provides the possibility of reflection for health professionals in order to understand the whole process experienced by the mother, helping her in this new existential situation, understanding her in the phases that make up the process of adaptation to the condition of being the mother of a child with cerebral palsy.
Keywords:
Mother; cerebral palsy; care