RESUMOEstudo qualitativo que objetivou conhecer percepções maternas sobre o nascimento do fi lho prematuro e os cuidados após a alta. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada com 16 mães de prematuros internados em UTIN, ou em acompanhamento pelo ambulatório de seguimento de recém-nascidos egressos de UTIN. As entrevistas foram gravadas, transcritas e interpretadas com base na Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados revelaram sentimentos de tristeza, angústia, culpa e impotência. Registrou-se, ainda, confi ança na equipe de saúde, insegurança com os cuidados ao fi lho em casa, a importância da rede de apoio social e da espiritualidade para as famílias. Profi ssionais que trabalham com prematuros devem dedicar maior atenção às suas famílias, compreendendo experiências críticas e acolhendo de forma humanizada. Descritores: Nascimento Prematuro; Unidades de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal; Cuidado da Criança; Pesquisa Qualitativa. ABSTRACT This is a qualitative study, which aimed to identify maternal perceptions on premature birth and care of the newborn during hospitalization and after discharge. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 mothers of premature infants in NICU or in follow up ambulatory for infants discharged from NICU. The interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed based on Content Analysis. Results revealed feelings of sadness, anguish, guilt and powerlessness. It was also reveled confi dence in the health care team, uncertainty with the care of child at home, the importance of social network support and the role of spirituality for families. Professionals who work with infants should devote more attention to their families, understanding and accepting critical experiments in a humane way. Key words: Premature Birth; Neonatal Intensive Care Units; Child Care; Qualitative Research. RESUMENInvestigación cualitativa con el objetivo de conocer la percepción materna sobre el nacimiento prematuro e el cuidado del recién-nacido durante la hospitalización e después del alta. Los datos fueron tomados mediante entrevista semi-estructurada a 16 madres con hijos prematuros internados en la UTIN o en la supervisión del seguimiento del ambulatorio para niños prematuros dados de alta de la UCIN. Las entrevistas fueron grabadas, transcritas y analizadas sobre la base de Análisis de Contenido. Los resultados revelaron sentimientos de tristeza, angustia, culpa e impotencia. Se registró también la confi anza en el equipo de salud, la incertidumbre con el cuidado del niño en el hogar, la importancia de la red de apoyo social y de la espiritualidad para las familias. Los profesionales que trabajan con niños deben prestar más atención a sus familias, comprendiendo y aceptando los experimentos críticos de una manera humana.

Introduction The population of children born prematurely has increased in line with improving the quality of perinatal care. It is essential to ensure to these children a healthy development. Objective We evaluate the neuromotor development of a group of preterm infants regularly assisted by a physiotherapy service in comparison to full-term newborns, checking, so the impact of the service. Materials and methods We randomly assigned preterm and full-term infants that formed two distinct groups. The group of preterm infants was inserted into a monitoring program of physiotherapy while the other infants were taken as a control group not receiving any assistance in physiotherapy. The groups were compared using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) at forty-week, four and six months of corrected gestational age and the scores were compared using Student's t-test, assuming a significance level of 5% (p < 0.05). Results The preterm group had significantly lower scores at 40th week compared to the control group, but subsequent scores showed no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion The timely and adequate stimulation was efficient to promote the motor development of premature infants included in a follow up clinic.