"A roller coaster of emotions": a qualitative study of parents very first experiences with their preterm baby
- Arnold, Leah
- Sawyer, Alexandra
- Rabe, Heike
- Abbott, Jane
- Gyte, Gillian
- Duley, Leila
- Ayers, Susan
DOIAbstract
Objectives: To assess parents 19 first experiences of their very preterm babies and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Design: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Participants: 32 mothers and 7 fathers of very preterm babies (<32 weeks gestation). Setting: Three neonatal units in tertiary care hospitals in South East England. Results: Five themes were identified. The first describes parents 19 blurred recall of the birth. The second shows the anticipation of seeing and touching their baby for the first time was characterised by contrasting emotions, with some parents feeling scared and others excited about the event. The third theme describes parents 19 first sight and touch of their babies and their 18rol...
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