Introduction: Perinatal asphyxia is a condition in which the placental or pulmonary gas exchange to or from the fetus is compromised or even ceases altogether, resulting in partial or complete lack of oxygen in vital organs. The consequences of perinatal asphyxia can occur in the cerebral, cardiovascular, cardio-respiratory, and musculoskeletal organ systems. Extensive studies on the impact that a child with disability has on the family were made in the 1970s, when it was "finally" recognized that a family with a child with special needs, was in fact a "family with special needs". Purpose: The purpose of the diploma work is to use the existing literature to study the perinatal asphyxia and the impact that it has on a child and ultimately on the child’s family. With the qualitative research that follows, we want to find out how families face long-term consequences, what adjustments are needed and how this affects them. Work methods: A descriptive work method is used for a systematic review of already known literature in this field. This was followed by a qualitative method of data collection, an interview, where the questions were divided into sections in advance. Data was processed with content analysis. The research sample is a group of three volunteering mothers, whose children experienced perinatal asphyxia. Results: It was a great shock for all three mothers when they first found out the diagnosis and prognosis of their children. Everyone agreed that in a family, a mother is the one who accepts a child with special needs the best, and she is also the one that mainly takes care of him. All three mothers agreed that partnership can change for the worse because of the child with disabilities. Everyone agreed that having a child with disability affects on a decision to have more children. All interviewees said that negative comments are usually heard from people who don´t know the child. Discussion and conclusion: Many people have difficulty accepting a child with disabilities because of the idea that a childhood is a period when we grow and learn new skills. According to the interviewees, what changes the most in the family, is mothers time management and her social life. We need to keep in mind that certain professionals only spend short period of time with these children and their families, so it’s hard to get a full picture of their daily life. It is important to do our best to help parents accept their child for who he or she is.
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