Fatherhood of a Premature Infant: “A Rough Roller-Coaster Ride”

Abstract

A man’s transition to fatherhood is one of the most significant changes in his life. The birth of the baby prematurely makes this transition a difficult experience. Study objectives included a better understanding of the range of experiences of fathers of premature infants and building new work procedures according to our findings. We used a qualitative content analysis design. We interviewed 26 fathers just prior to their infant’s discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit. Our findings reveal a growing trend of the father taking on a more significant role in the care of the infant and equal division of tasks with the mother. Although this is the trend, there are fathers who prefer to keep to the traditional paternal role of standing aside or behind the mother. Pursuant to these findings, specific work procedures for fathers were formulated, and information booklets for fathers and mothers were planned.

Determinants of Paternal Engagement: Investigating Low-Income Fathers’ Caregiving, Play, and Verbal Engagement With Infants

“…Within the present study, healthy and premature birth status did not predict fathers’ engagement. These findings seemingly contradict past research showing higher levels of father engagement for infants with health issues (e.g., colic and reflux; Cole et al, 2020) and those born prematurely (Strauss et al, 2019). However, a number of things may be responsible for our findings.…”

“…The authors suggested that through comforting their infants, fathers may form greater emotional connections with their children. Studies have further identified that fathers of premature infants (i.e., infants born before 37 weeks) tended to take a more substantial role in caregiving (Strauss, Avrech Bar, & Stanger, 2019). Given the limited evidence in this area, further research is needed to investigate the associations between fathering and child characteristics, such as age and health.…”

The Needs of NICU Fathers in Their Own Words

“…Fathers expressed how they felt the NICU environment was geared toward mothers, leaving the fathers in this study feeling vulnerable and not supported. Other studies have reported similar findings, with fathers stating they felt invisible, powerless, glossed over, and uninvolved 35–37. In addition, similar to other studies,26,35 fathers in our study reported they had difficulty asking for support because asking for support was not manly and it was their job to stay strong 38.…”

“…Other studies have reported similar findings, with fathers stating they felt invisible, powerless, glossed over, and uninvolved. [35][36][37] In addition, similar to other studies, 26,35 fathers in our study reported they had difficulty asking for support because asking for support was not manly and it was their job to stay strong. 38 Fathers, though, wanted support from the staff, clergy, and other fathers, stating they felt they would be better able to cope with the NICU environment and receive the support they needed.…”

“…46 Hence, both parents benefit from support groups but fathers may feel uncomfortable expressing themselves in front of their partner since they feel they need to be strong and not upset their partner. [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Fathers in our study suggested online groups, which have shown to have the potential of offering encouragement and enhancing emotional support. 46 Offering online support groups just for fathers may benefit them, giving them a safe place to express their feelings and not feel they have to be the strong partner or they are upsetting their partner with what they are feeling.…”