Neonatal deaths in a highly vulnerable area in Santos, São Paulo State, Brazil: examining healthcare issues from women's perspective

The study analyzed the life and healthcare stories of women living in the Northwest Zone of the city of Santos, São Paulo State, Brazil, who had experienced neonatal deaths between January 2015 and July 2016. The study used triangulation of data from documents from the surveillance division, field diaries from visits to services, and interviews with the women. The interviews provided the main body of empirical data, based on narratives of the women's sexual and reproductive history, prenatal care, childbirth, and the experience of neonatal death. Of the 15 eligible cases, 8 women were interviewed, 6 of whom over 30 years of age and 2 under 30 years, all African-Brazilians, natives of Santos, and working in unskilled occupations. The data yielded the following results: (1) histories of unplanned pregnancies with various gestational risk factors; (2) the women's acknowledgment that they had experienced good access to health services; (3) questions concerning the need for tests and test results, understanding of complications, explanation of treatment approaches, and referrals; (4) prematurity, present in all the cases; (5) pain during labor, abandonment, and transfer to other services due to lack of beds in the neonatal ICU; (6) lack of integration between levels of care; and (7) after the infant's death, limited approaches and little orientation on comprehensive care related to the neonatal death. In conclusion, although the prenatal care was positively rated by the women, there was no comprehensive care for them in relation to the experience of neonatal death, with dialogue and an offer of more adequate contraceptive methods given their health history, as well as counseling on the emotional distress resulting from these experiences.