Breastfeeding a very low birth weight baby is a challenging and exhausting experience for the mother. A better teaching protocol for breastfeeding and an improved breastfeeding ethos need to be implemented in the neonatal intensive care unit and special care nursery to support families of very low birth weight infants.
Aim
This article is a report of a study to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention on fathering ability, perceived nurse's support and paternal stress after a preterm infant's admission to a neonatal intensive care unit.
Background
The birth of a premature infant who is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit is a stressful experience. Due to the maternal postpartum practice in Taiwan, the father is the main visitor of the infant during the first few weeks, but interventions have rarely focused on the father.
Design
A historical comparison study.
Methods
Between August 2009–July 2010, 35 fathers in the comparison group received routine care; 34 fathers in the intervention group received a booklet designed for the fathers during their visits to the neonatal intensive care unit and nurses’ guidance based on the contents of the booklet. Fathering ability, perceived nurse's support and paternal stress were measured.
Findings
The intervention group had a significantly higher fathering ability and perceived nurse support than the comparison group. In the intervention group, the increased fathering ability reduced paternal stress. After adjusting for severity of illness, an significant moderating effect of perceived nurse support on the relationship between fathering ability and paternal stress was found, accounting for 59·5% of variance.
Conclusion
Designing a supportive intervention which provides informational, emotional, instrumental, and esteem support for the father can effectively empower his fathering ability and reduce his stress. The intervention should be initiated from the early admission of the premature infant to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Results suggest that Internet education about newborn care may contribute to greater care knowledge and maternal confidence. Relevance to clinical practice. Internet newborn-care education programmes can achieve success in promoting newborn care and provide health professionals with evidence-based intervention.
The results can be used for further organization of education programmes and as a reference for training strategies. Further examination and analysis of item content are suggested.
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