Reorganizing Life: A Qualitative Study of Fathers' Lived Experience in the 3 Years Subsequent to the Very Preterm Birth of Their Child 1

This is the second part of a study that is following eight Swedish fathers of very preterm children using qualitative interviews. The aim was to illuminate fathers' lived experience of the 3 years since the birth of their very preterm child using a hermeneutic phenomenological method. The fathers described their lived experience as a process of reorganizing life, which constituted the overarching theme. They described a journey from the past to the present in which they adapted ordinary family life. The sub-themes identified were struggling to endure, experiencing empowerment, and building a secure base. The results may serve as a basis for neonatal staff to optimize care for both fathers and mothers during the child's hospitalization, as well as subsequent to their discharge.