Reorganizing Life: A Qualitative Study of Fathers' Lived Experience in the 3Years Subsequent to the Very Preterm Birth of Their Child

摘要

This is the second part of a study that is following eight Swedish fathers of very preterm children using qualitative interviews. The aim was to illuminate fathers' lived experience of the 3. years since the birth of their very preterm child using a hermeneutic phenomenological method. The fathers described their lived experience as a process of reorganizing life, which constituted the overarching theme. They described a journey from the past to the present in which they adapted ordinary family life. The sub-themes identified were struggling to endure, experiencing empowerment, and building a secure base. The results may serve as a basis for neonatal staff to optimize care for both fathers and mothers during the child's hospitalization, as well as subsequent to their discharge.