Mothers' feelings about breastfeeding their premature babies in a rooming-in facility.

This study aimed at learning about the feelings experienced by mothers while breastfeeding their premature babies in a rooming-in facility, by means of individual interviews with 33 mothers during the period of February to April 2006, at a maternity hospital in Natal/RN/Brazil. The main feelings referred by the mothers regarding their inability to breastfeed their premature babies immediately after delivery were: sorrow, guilt, disappointment, frustration, insecurity, and fear of touching, holding or harming the delicate babies while breastfeeding. However, the mother-child bond that was formed when the baby was discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and taken to the rooming-in facility was reflected by feelings of fulfillment, pride, and satisfaction at experiencing the first breastfeeding.

[Effectiveness of non-pharmacological strategies in relieving labor pain].

The study objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological strategies to relieve pain in parturients in labor. This is a before and after therapeutic intervention clinical trial, performed at a public maternity in the city of Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, with 100 parturients applying breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, lumbosacral massage, and showers. A visual analogue scale was used for data collection.

Ways of coping with AIDS: opinion of mothers with HIV children.

The research aims at identifying strategies of coping with AIDS used by mothers of HIV positive children to live better with their children's disease. The method used was a descriptive qualitative study. Thirty-three structured interviews were conducted with HIV positive women voluntaries and registered as users in the clinic of the public hospital of reference for the treatment of AIDS in Natal/RN.

Non-pharmacological strategies on pain relief during labor: pre-testing of an instrument.

This descriptive study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Strategies (NFS) on pain relief of parturients as part of a research instrument to be utilized in a Doctoral Dissertation. In order to evaluate the NFS, the Analogous Visual Scale (AVS) was used on 30 parturients attended at the Humanized Labor Unit of a school-maternity hospital in Natal, RN, Brazil. Of the six NFS (respiratory exercises, muscular relaxation, lumbossacral massage, shower washing, deambulation and pelvic swing), two were excluded post-test (deambulation and pelvic swing) for not being accepted by the parturients.

[Knowledge of women about the Pap test in a basic health unit in Natal/RN, Brazil].

This is a descriptive quantitative research carried out at a Basic Health Unit in Natal, State of Rio Grande do Norte, aimed at measuring the knowledge that women have on the importance of the Pap test and the frequency in which they undertake it, as well as how they prepare themselves to undertake it and the causes that lead women to not submit to it. For data collection a structured interview prior to the gynecologic consultation was used, with an intentional sample of 120 women. The results show that the surveyed women are aware of the importance of the test, that most of them undertake it annually and that they generally have satisfactory knowledge as for the care they must take prior to undertaking it.

[Study with elderly from asylums in Natal/RN: socioeconomic and health characteristics].

The accelerated aging of the Brazilian population will certainly increase the number of institutionalized elderly. Based on this focus, this descriptive and exploratory study was carried out at three asylum institutions in Natal (RN), Brazil, with a view to characterizing the elderly living there, as well as identifying the socioeconomic and health problems and causes that took them to the asylum. The sample consisted of 30% of the total number of elderly in each asylum.

[Breast self-examination: knowledge of women attending the outpatient service of a university hospital].

This is a descriptive study developed in the outpatient unit of a university maternity hospital in the city of Natal/RN. It aimed at identifying the knowledge about and alterations found during breast self-examination as well as at describing how women examine themselves. The population was formed by patients sent by other health services and the sample consisted of 109 women with age varying from 15 to 83 years.

[Care for parturient women by obstetrical nurses in the Midwifery project: an experience report].

This study focuses on the nursing care models that value the woman in childbirth process. Authors described the humanized care provided to the parturient by obstetric nurses in the "Midwifery Project" developed at a University Maternity Hospital. They emphasized that the practice of these models enable the nurse's active participation in the childbirth process, resulting in the satisfaction of the parturient and of the professional.