Fathers' care of the newborn infant after caesarean section in Chile: A qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundIn Chilean hospitals the current model of care after caesarean section is to separate newborn infants from both parents. The care of newborn infants and the parents' experience immediately after caesarean section requires further exploration. AimTo describe fathers' experiences and perceptions of being the primary caregiver to their newborn infant during the first 90 minutes after caesarean section in a public general maternity hospital setting in Santiago de Chile. MethodThe questionnaire was one part of a larger research programme named: “Caregiving Models after Elective Caesarean Section – Parents' perceptions and effects on infants' wellbeing”. Four open ended questions were used to gather written text on the experiences and perceptions of 95 fathers who were the primary caregiver to their newborn infant. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee, Scientific Assessment Metropolitan Health Service South East. Systematic text condensation according to Malterud's description was used for analysis of the written text. FindingsTwo themes were identified: “understanding the first moment of life” and “shared responsibility for future family life” with each theme divided into six categories. ConclusionThis study concludes by arguing that in situations where the mother is unavailable or unable to provide basic care, the father should be supported to care for the newborn infant. Clinical implicationsParents should be made aware of the benefits of this caring model especially when mother and baby have been separated after birth.