Background
Methods
Study design and setting
Participants and recruitment
Data collection
Data analysis
Results
Parents’ characteristics
Characteristics | n (%) N = 20 |
---|---|
Age in years; mean (SD), range | 32.2 (± 5.7); 24–49 |
Gender | |
Female | 10 (50) |
Male | 10 (50) |
Nationality | |
Swiss only | 18 (90) |
Other | 2 (10) |
Pregnancy | |
Singleton | 14 (70) |
Twins | 6 (30) |
Birth mode | |
Cesarean section | 19 (95) |
Natural birth | 1 (5) |
Number of children (incl. newborn(s)) | |
1 | 10 (50) |
2 | 8 (40) |
3 | 1 (5) |
4 | 1 (5) |
Neonatal healthcare professionals’ characteristics
Characteristics | n (%) N = 21 |
---|---|
Age in years; mean (SD), range | 38.6 (± 12.1), 23–63 |
Gender | |
Female | 17 (81) |
Male | 4 (19) |
Profession | |
Nurse | 10 (48) |
Physician | 11 (52) |
Barriers and facilitators to parental presence
Structural factors
“Parking fees, for example, can be a barrier. […] I imagine the Ronald McDonald House costs a lot as well. ” (FGD04, P2, physician)
“Yes, so what I noticed, of course, is the parking. If you go to the hospital parking and you are there all day, you can quickly lose a hundred francs or more a week. […] But other than that, we are not in a bad financial position. […] I think we should make it.” (F08)
“That was cool, of course, when I was still an inpatient. I went down at nine in the evening, as soon as I could get out again. Or I went down in the morning before breakfast.” (M05)
“I’ve also heard from fathers who come early in the morning that the atmosphere in the morning, when there’s just the night guard and all the other kids are asleep, is very nice. Just that quiet.” (FGD02, P5, nurse)
“And then the mother can’t be transferred because there’s no room for her […]. This is sometimes very difficult to accept, that this transfer of the mother doesn’t seem to be as important as it should be.” (FGD03, P2, physician)
“So you can really come here whenever you want. That is valuable. For example, I thought that if I could not come during the day, I could come in the evening or at night. You really can always come.” (M01)
Organization and time management
“Of course I would have liked to come, but our boy is still at home. I have been in the women’s hospital for so long, even before that. I have to be at home sometime. It is also for him.” (M05)
“Another thing I hear again and again, for example from fathers, is that the employer may not be so understanding after all.” (FGD01, P3, nurse)
“I usually come in the afternoon or evening. It depends a little bit on whether I have a lot of work to do. If you have a lot of work, that is how it is. I also have to take care of the workplace because my child comes home after. But what else can I do?” (F09)
“My wife had a visit plan because of breastfeeding and stuff. However, maybe it would also be good for the fathers if you would support them. Maybe you can come up with some ideas on how to organize things better.” (F10)
Resources
“I also want to give fathers three months, because the first time is the most important. […] The mother has memories with the child, but the father has to work all day and sleep all night. Then it feels like a two-hour visit home. But that’s the law.” (F09)
“I think you should also educate yourself a little bit internally about what’s available. So that you know the resources. Maybe there are more than we think. We just don’t know the whole structures enough to offer it optimally.” (FGD04, P4, physician)
“Yes, immediate family certainly helps. […] They drove me here a lot. Or when they went shopping or when we came back in the evening and were able to sit with them for dinner […]. That made it a lot easier.” (M04)
Physical and psychological aspects
“Therefore, my husband was there. Anyone who could stand, or at least sit, could do it. However, that was not possible for me.” (M02)
“I sent my husband ahead because I said, “Hey listen, I need to get some fresh air right now. I can’t go in this building just yet.” So I really felt quite bad.” (M01)
“You may be afraid of the sick infant and the machinery of neonatology. You might want to look away and protect yourself. Maybe even unconsciously.” (FGD04, P4, physician)
“I would rather be there all the time. But it’s also good to be able to go home for a while. That is good as well. We also agreed that I would still go to training once or twice a week. Then you can still relax a bit.” (F08)
“I would like to be with the children more, but I see that I have to keep my strength in check. […] I have met women who are really with the infants from morning to midnight. If you look at them, it doesn’t take much longer and they collapse.” (M10)
Parent-professional interaction
“Another thing that comes to mind with barriers is how parents feel or how comfortable they feel when they are here […] I think that also makes parents more likely to come or stay longer if they feel comfortable with us.” (FGD03, P4, physician)
“It would be good if you could be there and do this.” We took that to heart and had to say: “That’s right.” […] That’s certainly why we came more often […] We knew that if we weren’t doing well, we didn’t have to. We have support here. We felt that.” (F05)
Cultural aspects
“Then it depends again, because there are also women who culturally only come with the husband.” (FGD1, P5, nurse)
“She doesn’t say what’s on her mind and I think to myself, “Sometimes you just have to speak for yourself.” But she doesn’t dare. The confidence is not there.” (F09)