A meta-ethnographic synthesis of fathers׳ experiences of complicated births that are potentially traumatic

Elmir, Rakime; Schmied, Virginia

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2015.09.008

Cited by 47 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Many of the fathers mentioned their lack of knowledge and skills, and several felt helpless and at a loss. We see similar findings in the study by Elmir and Schmied, 8 where some fathers felt powerless and helpless at being unable to fulfil their expected role of protecting their partner and the newborn baby. The fathers in our study who had previously been present at a birth stated that their prior experience reassured them.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…9 , 21 It also emerges that the unexpected experience of a birth that deviates from the norm can negatively affect the father’s mental health. 8 To have to assist in the delivery of one’s own baby may be considered an experience of a birth that deviates from the norm. Several fathers described the experience as frightening, and told of the shock they felt.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are, however, studies of fathers’ experiences of planned home births when the midwife did not arrive in time, 7 and of fathers’ experiences of potentially traumatic births in maternity units. 8 – 10 These studies reveal that childbirth is often perceived as frightening and challenging. They also show that fathers are often confused about their role and concerned about the health of both mother and child, while also feeling a need to hide their own feelings to protect their partner during the birth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

<p>Fathers’ Experiences of Being Present at an Unplanned Out-of-Hospital Birth: A Qualitative Study</p>

Jarneid¹,

Gjestad²,

Røseth³

et al. 2020

JMDH

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Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate fathers’ experiences of being present at an unplanned birth outside a maternity facility. Materials and Methods This was a qualitative interview study with 12 fathers from six of Norway’s eleven counties. All had been present at an unplanned out-of-hospital birth in 2015–2020. Data were analyzed using systematic text condensation. Results The data analysis resulted in four themes. The first theme described the fathers’ stress and worry and how they managed to keep a cool head and think rationally in a totally unprepared situation. The second theme described the fathers’ need for help and the reassuring feeling provided by contact with health professionals. The third theme described how the birth increased the father’s attachment to his partner and baby, while the fourth theme described fathers’ feelings of exclusion and their reactions following the birth. Conclusion Fathers’ perceived lack of expertise and their fear of complications led to stress, worry and anxiety, but support from health personnel provided reassurance and control. Many fathers experienced mastery, pride and joy after the birth, but when arriving at hospital, they felt rejected and wished that maternity care staff had approached them to talk about the experience.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

<p>Fathers’ Experiences of Being Present at an Unplanned Out-of-Hospital Birth: A Qualitative Study</p>

Jarneid¹,

Gjestad²,

Røseth³

et al. 2020

JMDH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many of the participants cited the importance of their faith in God in helping them cope with adversity and uncertainty of a difficult pregnancy or birth, and they also described experiences of discrimination, and mistrust of HCP and the healthcare system. The dominant narrative from previous research has identified themes of role transition, mixed emotions, neglect, and unmet informational needs in fathers' experience of pregnancy and childbirth [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Specific to the experience of preterm birth, a metasynthesis of 24 qualitative studies of the experiences of fathers of preterm infants receiving care in the NICU identified common themes of proximity, parental autonomy, vulnerability, communication, and exclusion and isolation and highlighted the powerful role of NICU staff in creating opportunities or barriers to fathers' involvement in their infant's caregiving [36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several international qualitative reviews have summarized the experience of fathers during pregnancy and birth. The reviews are largely based on studies with ethnically homogenous groups from high resource settings such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden [4,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Investigators found that first-time fathers experienced a transition during pregnancy, from an initial apprehension to acceptance of the pregnancy [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What about the men? Perinatal experiences of men of color whose partners were at risk for preterm birth, a qualitative study

McLemore

Baltzell

Hodgkin

et al. 2020

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background: Preterm birth in the United States is associated with maternal clinical factors such as diabetes, hypertension and social factors including race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. In California, 8.7% of all live births are preterm, with African American and Black families experiencing the greatest burden. The impact of paternal factors on birth outcomes has been studied, but little is known about the experience of men of color (MOC). The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of MOC who are partners to women at medical and social risk for preterm birth. Methods: This study used a qualitative research design and focus group methods. The research was embedded within an existing study exploring experiences of women of color at risk for preterm birth conducted by the California Preterm Birth Initiative. Results: Twelve MOC participated in the study and among them had 9 preterm children. Four themes emerged from thematic analysis of men's experiences: (1) "Being the Rock": Providing comfort and security; (2) "It's a blessing all the way around": Keeping faith during uncertainty; (3) "Tell me EVERYTHING": Unmet needs during pregnancy and delivery; (4) "Like a guinea pig": Frustration with the healthcare system. Participants identified many barriers to having a healthy pregnancy and birth including inadequate support for decision making, differential treatment, and discrimination. Conclusions: This study shows novel and shared narratives regarding MOC experiences during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum periods. Healthcare providers have an essential role to acknowledge MOC, their experience of discrimination and mistrust, and to assess needs for support that can improve birth outcomes. As MOC and their families are at especially high social and medical risk for preterm birth, their voice and experience should be central in all future research on this topic.

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Low‐income fathers are emotionally resilient: A qualitative exploration of paternal emotions across early parenting

Lee,

Chang

et al. 2024

Infant Mental Health Journal: Infancy and Early Childhood

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Emotions play an important role in fostering positive parenting and healthy child development. This qualitative study explored the affective experiences of racially diverse US fathers with low income across the prenatal, postnatal, and early childhood periods. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 24 fathers. Interview questions asked about fathers’ early parenting experiences that elicit parenting emotions of different valence. Results from thematic analysis demonstrated activation of multiple emotions depending on different proximal and distal experiences. Specific to proximal experiences, fathers reported feeling both excited and anxious about pregnancy and joyful and disappointed at childbirth. Related to distal experiences, fathers reported feeling encouraged by their social support networks that further aid their parenting, but feeling marginalized given systematic barriers (e.g., societal bias, high incarceration rates of Black fathers). Most importantly, fathers’ parenting emotions, especially negative ones, led to them resolving to stay involved in their children's lives, gaining a sense of responsibility, and changing behaviors to do right by their children. Fathers resorted to various coping strategies to regulate their negative emotions. Overall, fathers with low income are emotionally resilient. Infant and early childhood health professionals should support fathers' mental health to promote father‐child engagement and thus, ultimately, young children's mental health and wellbeing.

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A meta-ethnographic synthesis of fathers׳ experiences of complicated births that are potentially traumatic

Cited by 47 publications

References 27 publications

<p>Fathers’ Experiences of Being Present at an Unplanned Out-of-Hospital Birth: A Qualitative Study</p>

<p>Fathers’ Experiences of Being Present at an Unplanned Out-of-Hospital Birth: A Qualitative Study</p>

What about the men? Perinatal experiences of men of color whose partners were at risk for preterm birth, a qualitative study

Low‐income fathers are emotionally resilient: A qualitative exploration of paternal emotions across early parenting

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