Maternal perceived quality of life following childbirth

Objective: To examine preterm, near-term, and term mothers' self-reported quality of life in the early postpartum period. Design: Prospective, longitudinal repeated measures design. Setting: Four medical centers in the Midwest. Patients/Participants: A convenience sample of 184 mothers of either a preterm, near-term, or term infant. Main Outcome Measure: Maternal Postpartum Quality of Life tool. Results: Mothers of preterm infants scored significantly lower on the subscale psychological/baby of the Maternal Postpartum Quality of Life tool compared to mothers of near-term and term infants. Conclusions: Infant gestational age at birth has relevance for maternal quality of life during the postpartum period. Health care professionals need to be cognizant relative to infant gestational age and individualize nursing care.