“Muito custa o que muito vale”: o tornar-se mãe das profissionais da saúde

Abstract

Introduction: the postpartum period is a complex and multifaceted time, marked by intense physical, emotional, social, and identity transformations. For female healthcare professionals, these experiences can be influenced by social expectations, technical knowledge, and professional demands, which affect the process of becoming a mother. Ramona Mercer's Theory of Maternal Role Achievement offers a powerful theoretical framework for understanding the construction of maternal identity in this context. Objective: to understand the postpartum experiences of female healthcare professionals who became mothers, based on Ramona Mercer's theory. Methodology: this is a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study involving 16 female healthcare professionals residing in western Santa Catarina. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews conducted on online platforms. The data were subjected to thematic content analysis. The project was approved by a Research Ethics Committee with Human Beings under opinion number 7.900.671 and CAAE: 84284424.8.0000.5564. Results: sixteen women participated in the study, aged between 24 and 40 years (mean 32 years), predominantly nurses, with a high level of education, working in the health field and residing mainly in western Santa Catarina, and in different stages of the postpartum period. The first theme addressed the main challenges of the postpartum period, where participants reported experiences related to difficulties with breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, physical and emotional exhaustion, feelings of guilt, fear, and frustration. The second theme presented the main impacts of the health profession on the postpartum period and how this process of returning to work, changing identities, and reconciling technical knowledge with practical reality occurred. The third theme highlighted the role of the support network and the process of identity reconstruction, marked by adaptation, strengthening, and re-signification of the maternal role, in line with Mercer. Finally, the fourth theme highlighted the repercussions of the postpartum period on health training processes, pointing out gaps in training for the maternal experience and the valorization of experiential knowledge, which contributes to more empathetic, critical, and humanized practices. Final considerations: the study highlighted the complexity of the postpartum period experienced by women health professionals, reinforcing the need for sensitive, comprehensive, and contextualized care practices that recognize these women as subjects of care and consider their specificities in the process of becoming a mother.