Introduction: The birth of a premature infant is a stressful situation. A mother needs a lot of support, since she was completely unprepared for childbirth. She feels helpless, guilty because she failed to give birth to a term child. A nurse offering psychosocial support to a mother of a premature infant is very important. Purpose: Present psychosocial support of the nurse to he mother of the premature infant, and to analyze the data of existing research in the field of psychosocial assistance to the mother. Methods: A descriptive method of work was used, with literature published between 2008 and 2018, in Slovenian and English. 35 professional and scientific articles were included in the analysis, indexed in CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane library, SocINDEX, Pubmed, and Cobiss databases. Results: The diploma work was particularly focused on the role of the nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, which includes demanding work with a premature infant and the continuing health education of the mother. This helps the mother who finds herself in a stressful situation, teaches her about the needs of a premature infant, advises her, encourages her, and involves her in the process of nursing the child. Discussion and conclusion: The birth of a premature infant is the source of parental stress, especially for the mother, if the child is born with a disability or is in a life-threatening condition. Stress affects the relationship between the mother and the child. Therefore, the first meeting with the mother and the child after childbirth is of utmost importance for a further maternal bond. The mother needs help and support, which is mostly provided by the nurse, during hospitalization and in her home environment. The nurse encourages and advises her partner, other family members, works on the NICU telephone helplines, and suggests suitable online resources. The nurse gives emotional support and education, working as a family educator and guardian, assessing the health status of a mother and a child.
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