Involvement of the father in the prenatal period: integrative review

Background: there are currently paradigmatic changes in relation to the focus of maternal health nursing, with the predominant role of the father being one of the main focuses of care. Objective: to identify the father’s importance and his role during pregnancy. Methodology: an integrative review was performed on the CINAHL®, Medline® and Psychology and Behavioral Science® databases. Of the 601 articles obtained only 10 were included in this review. Results: the included articles allude to pregnancy as a demanding period, being considered as a transition to paternity. From the analysis four subareas emerged: the father’s mental representation; how pregnancy becomes real to the father; the way parents have committed to fatherhood and the father’s role father in family life. Conclusion: the results highlight the father’s importance during pregnancy and the emerging need to focus care in the family in the face of a transition. Father’s involvement and inclusion during pregnancy plays a key role in building trust and leading to better management of stress caused by the transition to parenting of all family members.