The Meanings of Caring for Pre-Term Children in the Vision of Male Parents

Abstract

The purposes of the study was to analyze the meanings assigned by the father to the assistance of pre-term infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and to discuss how these meanings influence paternal care. It is a qualitative study with an ethnographic approach, carried out in a neonatal unit in Rio de Janeiro. Twenty-two fathers whose pre-term infants were hospitalized have been interviewed. Data were collected by means of a field logbook, participative observation and semi-structured interviews. Through thematic analysis, the inferred categories were a) father-child proximity and the permanence at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: overcoming obstacles and revealing motivations, b) the inclusion of fathers in caring for pre-term children: limits and possibilities. Nurses should favor the proximity of fathers and newborns to strengthen their relationship. The intensivist care neonatal practice should include strategies to support male parenting in pre-term birth considering the perspective of gender equity.

Insertion of the Father in the Care of the Hospitalized Preterm Infant: Perception of the Multiprofessional Team

“…In Brazil, paternity leave is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution of 1988, article 7, granting the father a period of five working days after childbirth. However, this period is insufficient to meet the needs demanded by the mother and the child in the first moments after birth, and this is even more delicate when it comes to premature birth 12 13 In the family configuration, a new paternal figure has emerged, expressing more affection and participation in the care of the family, contrary to the hegemonic paternity model, which used to consider man as a financial provider, distancing them from fatherhood and from the responsibility in the development of children 14…”

Uso de dispositivos invasivos em recém-nascidos: percepção dos pais

“…Transparece ainda a dificuldade de enfrentar a situação de ver um filho em condições extremas, diferente do que foi planejado, portanto alguns pais não querem e nem conseguem se aproximar. O medo está presente nos pais, justamente por saberem dos riscos inerentes em tal ambiente, além disso, fundemse os sentimentos de frustração e incapacidade, por não estarem, geralmente, preparados para esta situação (10) .…”

Maternal care in the preterm child’s family context: A comprehensive look towards the sibling

“…Although mentioned in the literature as a supporter, the mention of father was minor in this study, limited to occasional caring actions, a fact that reinforces the need for transformations of health practices accordingly. It is necessary to rethink the model for insertion of the premature child's father (17) , but also siblings and other family members in the hospitalization process, including the mother herself.…”