The birth of a premature infant: experiences from the fathers' perspective

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences from the birth of premature infants in the fathers' perspective. Eight fathers participated; their infants were born prematurely and thereby needed care in a neonatal intensive care unit. Narrative interviews were conducted and a thematic co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neonatal nursing : JNN 2007, Vol.13 (4), p.142
Main Authors: Lindberg, Birgitta, Axelsson, Karin, Öhrling, Kerstin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Nursing
Omvårdnad
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Summary:The aim of this study was to describe the experiences from the birth of premature infants in the fathers' perspective. Eight fathers participated; their infants were born prematurely and thereby needed care in a neonatal intensive care unit. Narrative interviews were conducted and a thematic content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Fathers described their experiences of having a preterm infant, as getting into the midst of something never previously reflected on. It was important to have information and to know what was going on, but it was difficult to understand what was happening. The fathers were protective over the mother and infant. They wanted to be with both the mother and the infant as much as possible and wished to be seen as a natural part in the care. However, fathers had their own needs and, therefore, needed to be cared for, as well.
ISSN:1878-089X
1355-1841
DOI:10.1016/j.jnn.2007.05.004