Mothers’ Experiences in Caring for Low Birth Weight (LBW) Infants: A Scoping Review

Dessi Wulandari Aza (Student of Midwifery Magister Program, Universitas 'Aisyiyah Yogyakarta)
Cesa Septiana Pratiwi (Lecturer of Master of Midwifery, Universitas 'Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia)

Jurnal Aisyah : Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan
Vol 11, No 1 (2026): March

Caring for a baby causes stress, especially for babies with meagre birth weight. If a child is not cared for properly, many problems can lead to injury and even death. However, some mothers handle LBW at home. This scenario is exciting to explore the new experience of giving birth to an LBW child, as well as the LBW mother being able to care for him effectively. This research aims to analyze mothers' experiences in caring for LBW babies at home. Mothers who successfully care for LBW babies at home are in an exciting situation to gain new experiences. This research uses the Scoping Review design method using the PRISMA-ScR Checklist with the Population, Exposure, Outcomes Design (PEO) Framework using the ScienceDirect, Pubmed and Wiley databases.Search for articles using the keywords (Baby*) OR (Low Birth Weight*) AND (Experience*) AND (Care*). With the inclusion criteria for articles from 2013-2023, original articles, articles in Indonesian and English. Exclusion criteria for opinion papers, theses and theses. Various articles use Prisma Flowcharts and Critical Appraisal using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The research results show that caring for LBW babies requires cooperation from all parties, especially the family. Extended families will be replaced with accurate information from health workers. The next activity is that health workers can collaborate with related community institutions so that if there are people who have LBW babies, they can access health services related to the care of LBW babies optimally. This comprehensive review identified three themes regarding mothers' experiences in LBW management, namely: mothers' views on LBW management, mothers' experiences in LBW management using the kangaroo method, and LBW management using the KMC method as well as the mother's lack of knowledge and experience about something significant that causes injury. Even death in children. To minimize stress and lack of confidence when caring for LBW at home, there needs to be encouragement from partners and family members.