The lived experiences of South African parents during the prolonged hospitalisation of their premature baby

Abstract

The act of becoming a parent has been described as an evolutionary significant life event; however, with the premature arrival of a baby, this transition can be altered abruptly, with short- and long-term consequences for both the parents and the premature baby. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of South African parents during the hospitalisation of their premature babies in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at a private hospital. The research study followed a qualitative phenomenological study design using purposive sampling to identify participants in Johannesburg. Forming the eleven semi-structured interviews - eight mothers and three fathers were interviewed on a single occasion. Within this sample, three of the mothers and the three fathers interviewed were married and cohabiting. An inductive thematic analyses was performed to establish emerging codes, categories and themes. The codes were developed using MAXDA software. Three themes emerged, highlighting the experiences of 11 parents during a NICU admission period. The themes were 1) Journey to NICU—context of pregnancy, 2) Transition to parenthood in NICU—Parenting in an unnatural environment, and 3) Coping with the emotional journey during a prolonged NICU stay. The findings contribute to available research pertaining specifically to the South African private health care setting as well as highlighting similarities and differences within the global body of research.