Authors

María del Pilar Borrero Pachón 

Position

Enfermera. Máster en Cuidados Críticos. Especialista en Enfermería Familiar y Comunitaria.

Contact address

C/ Carmen Conde, 1, 4º A. 28380 Valdemoro (Madrid).

Contact email: pilar_borrero@yahoo.es

Abstract

The birth of a premature baby represents a sudden and unexpected event for parents. The baby’s idealization gets interrupted by its admission in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where highly technological care is offered, which hinders the establishment of the parenting role. 

Objective: to understand the process by which the parenting role is established by parents of premature children admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 

Methodology: qualitative study conducted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre in Madrid. The study subjects were parents who had a premature baby admitted two years ago. Semi-structured in-depth interview techniques were used, as well as drawings by the parents. The data analysis strategy was an analytical process through the Grounded Theory approach. Reflexivity and validation strategies were used by the parties.

Results and conclusions: the process for establishing the parenting role can be understood as a hard and difficult road with a series of stages. These stages could be tentatively defined as: “Truncated Expectations”, “Opposite Feelings”, “First Contact”, and “Parenting Fusion”. The neonatal nurse may encourage a positive transition between stages through the care provided. 

Keywords:

Premature; Neonatal Intensive Care; parenting role; bond; qualitative researchpediatric nursing

Versión en Español

Título:

Cómo establecen los padres el rol parental en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales: “Encontrando la paternidad truncada”