The birth of premature infants: Experiences from the fathers’ perspective

AimThe aim of this study was to describe the experiences from the birth of premature infants in the fathers’ perspective.MethodsEight 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.Results and conclusionFathers 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.