Experiences of Adolescents Mothers from a Safe Maternity Program in Cartagena, Colombia

Abstract

Introduction: Prenatal care is essential to provide obstetric care that allows a safe delivery, seeking to minimize risks for the mother and her child.

Objective: To analyze the experiences of adolescent mothers regarding the importance of prenatal care in the safe motherhood program of Canapote Hospital, Cartagena.

Methods: A qualitative and phenomenological study was carried out at Canapote Hospital in Cartagena, Colombia, during the period from December 2019 to December 2020, based on focus groups of fourteen adolescent mothers. Sociodemographic aspects and experiences regarding prenatal checkups were included in the interview, from which concepts emerged that were organized into categories and subcategories of analysis.

Results: The adolescents were 16-17 years old on average, single, from nuclear families, senior high school graduates, under subsidized regime. The experiences were favorable, especially in relation to the doctor's care and the nurses’ kind treatment, which has turned negative feelings into positive ones.

Conclusions: The experience of adolescent mothers was characterized by positive perception, which brought a feeling of fear until reaching joy and tranquility at the end of the checkups during pregnancy.