Abstract
Objective: to know the challenges faced by mothers in the treatment of children with microcephaly. Methods: This is a descriptive-exploratory study of a qualitative nature, carried out with mothers of microcephalic children in a medium-sized city in the southwest of Bahia. The study population consisted of 07 mothers of children with microcephaly of different sex and age, whose data were collected through a semi-structured interview, recorded with the aid of a tape recorder and analyzed through the discourse analysis of the collective subject. Results: the collected data allowed the construction of collective discourses that represent the mothers' understanding of the challenges faced in the treatment of children with microcephaly. Based on the thematic ideas of the analyzed discourses that responded to the proposed objective, three categories emerged for reflection: "the understanding of the physical limitations of the children", "difficulty faced for attendance with multiprofessional team" and the "guarantee of specialized care by SUS". Conclusion: Given the results, it is evident that the emergence of strategies is necessary for the challenges to be faced, such as strengthening the SUS, an effective support network and assistance to affected patients, so that users do not peregrinate within the system, also perform a training of health professionals to deal with the situation.