TITLE:
Father Prepared, Committed, and Involved in His Child’s Birth: The Experience of Early Father-Child Skin to Skin Contact at Birth
AUTHORS:
Claudia Uribe-Torres, Mónica Muñoz Serrano, Luiza Hoga
KEYWORDS:
Antenatal Preparation, Birth, Paternal Role, Father-Child Relationship
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.11 No.7,
July
19,
2021
ABSTRACT: Although the figure of the father has progressively
gained a place in birth, it is still
displaced and in the mere role of a companion. Objective: To understand the
experience of fathers who have prepared to get actively involved in birth and
to undergo the experience of early physical contact with their newborns.
Method: A qualitative Action-Research (AR) design was carried out, which
considered the antenatal educational intervention of 12 fathers together with
their pregnant partners. After delivery, individual interviews were conducted in depth to collect the paternal experience at
birth. Results: The central emerging theme developed during AR was “Paternal role and early bonding with the
child”, whereas the experience was comprehended in two central themes
related to the meaning of the father-child encounter-contact: “The impact of the face-to-face encounter
with the child”; “The first physical
contact with the child, a key moment”.
Conclusion: The fathers who were prepared and involved from pregnancy and at
birth attribute a special meaning to the father-child relationship which generated
since the first encounter, allowing them to feel, enjoy and commit to care.