A Rites of Passage analysis of the families' experience of premature birth

This paper will explore some of the feelings surrounding life at home when the mother has given birth to her baby before 37 weeks. It will include an insight into several of the ways fathers of premature babies may respond to the birth of their baby, and certain comments concerning the response of siblings.This paper will be based upon a Master's degree research dissertation, which was carried out in 1992 at Loughborough University and a current PhD research project at Sheffield Hallam University, with Professor Mavis Kirkham as supervisor.