Joumal of Advanced Nursmg, 1991,16, 293-298
The experiences of new fathers during the first 3 weeks of life Angela D Henderson RN MSN Assistant Professor, School of Nurstng, Untverstty of Bnhsh Columbia, Vancouver
and A. Jeruse Brouse RN MSN Director of Nursing, Bumaby Hospttal, Bumaby, Bnhsh Columbia, Canada
Accepted for publication 1 August 1990
HENDERSON A.D & BROUSE A J (1991) Journal of Advanced Nurstng 16, 293-298 The experiences of new fathers during the first 3 weeks of life Research has consistently demonstrated that the transition to parenthood is a stressful event As well, the bterature recognizes that the role of the father m North Amencan society is m the process of change The purpose of this qualitative study was to clanfy our understandmg of the expenence of new fathers durmg the first 3 weeks postpartum Twenty-two fathers were mterviewed m their homes usmg a semi-structured mterview format Fmdmgs suggest that new fathers go through a predictable three-stage process durmg the transition to fatherhood In addition, factors were identified which affect the transition Nursmg mterventions were suggested to faahtate this process and imphcations for hiture study mduded
TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD Research has consistently demonshated that the hansihon to parenthood is a shessfid event As well, the bterature recognizes that the role of the father m North Amencan soaety ts m the process of change However, it has only been within the past 2 decades that the bterature has addressed the miportance of the father Only m the past decade b«i nursmg begun to recognize and mdude the father m the birth process and the followmg postpartum hospitabzahon penod Researdi and parenhng educahon programmes have foaised on the m o t h e r - ^ d relahonu u I L I. ^ 1 . f, I. «!.»„,-*„,„= an,^ have aup when looking at parent-intant mterachons and nave neglected to mdude the father as an unportant member m th^reUhonship-Newprognmuneshaveoftenbeendevelopedandhavefailedtomdudefathersasequalpartners As u 1. 1 J I. I ., ^day, mformed that their parhapahon was voluntary men are now expected not ordy to fulfil tbe role of provider but also to be nurtunng, canng, mvolved parents (Battles Mediexloiogy 1988, Robmson & Barret 1986) It is of the utmost signifi- In orckr to uneover the meamngs that expenences held for cance that it IS now known for certain that infants do, m thesefathers,a phenomenologieal approach was used This fact, attach to fathers as well as to mothers' (Hanson & methexl allowed us to understand dient expenences by Bozett 1986) The soaalizahon process necessary to help analysmg events m their lives Qualitahve methe}dole>gies fathers to acbeve tbs dual role has not been available recognize that 'mdividuals are not always reduabk and because of tbe lack of botb cultural and inshtuhonal sup- measurable objects that exist inekpendently of their port (Fisbbem 1984) One way to mcrease the present body bstoncal, soaal and cultural contexts' (Duffy 1987) The of knowkdge is to recognize that fathers are equaUy researeher attempts to understand the dient's reality and important partiapants in mfant caregiving and indude the context m wbch tbs reality exists Tbs perspechve them as a major focus of study helps to make expliat the extreme complexity of human expenence and is therefeve an mvaluabk guide to dmical prachce PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Hienomanology, with its focus on 'the unfolefang of the The purpose of the study was to clanfy our understanding phenomoion itself [to] guiek the logic of the inquiry' of the expenence of new fathers durmg tbs cntical penod (Giorgi 1975), emphasizes the importaiKe of the researeher understandmg the meaning that people's expenences hold of famdy development for than Anyone who has lived the expenence is a valid parhapant Sample sizes are usually small because of the Settmg, sample and procedure volume of verbal data to be analysed (Smieklowsb 1986) Sampk size is judged to be adequate when no new mforTwenty-two couples were mterviewed m then- hcHnes at mahcm is bemg generated and partiapants are echoing ^Tproxunately 3 weeks pcstpartum. The mothers were each other meiueied m the mterviews as past researeii mdicat« tbat some mothers find it difi^ndt to accept fathere' mvolvetnent with their cMdren out erf 'fear that their twntory has ANALYSIS beoj mvackd' (Rcjbmson & Barret 1986) So, to avoid this The mterviews were analysed using the photomenoiogical prtMem, parents were mterviewal togetl^r and were not process of analysis descnbed by Giorgi (1975,1987) When 294
Expenmas of new fathers
uhbzmg tbs af^jroach, analysis and date colledion are conducted concurrently, with analysis leading to emergmg themes bemg incorporated mto upcommg interviews The process of analysis begms by readmg the typewntten transcnpt to gam a feebng for the tone of the mterview Next, the interview is reread and themes or 'meaning umts' are ldenhfied The researcher then tnes to identify relahonships between the themes and to express those relationships m psychological terms as opposed to the language of the parhapants Insights gamed are then validated m subsequent mterviews Validahon is an important part of the process as it groimds the psychological assumphons m the reality of those who bved the expenence It IS customary to lndude verbatim statements fi-om the parhcipants when reportmg phenomenological research m order to allow the reader to judge the vabdity of the mterpretations
RESULTS One of the sigmficant themes mvolved the mtense emotions expenenced by these new fathers Time and hme agam, fathers talked about their fiushation and anger at the confusion they felt when faced with the need to make deasions based on eonfbetmg mformahon For example, fathers felt that at prenatal dasses the mformahon either terrified than unnecessanly or failed to prepare them for the vanahons m normal labours Tbs resulted in them feebng unprepared when the event actually occurred One father aptly descnbed b s understandmg of what lcibour mvolved
The inconsistent information ccmhnued to be a problem dunng the hospital stay Although tbs was more of a problem for the mothers, the fathers were upset on behalf of their wives You get so much confiidmg lnformahon Every nurse has their own opinions so it's very difficult to know who to bebeve Then they all disagree with the books you read and each other So you get a barrage of information but it all conflids and conhadids Fathers were hesitant to clanfy tbs mformahon hecause of their percephon that the nurses were 'so busy' and 'run ofSF their feet' Parents almost felt guilty about 'mtermptmg' the nurses to ask queshons In many cases, they were tom between the wish to go home and feebngs of worry at>out their abilities to manage once they got there They felt unprepared by the hospital stay to cope
Source of support When at home, it seems that many parents were so distressed that they were unable to be supportive to each other As Humemck & Bugen (1987) reported often the father's only source of support was the mother who was also expenenang a difficult hansition As stated by Battles (1988), 'the spontaneous nature of an infant and the relative disorder a newbom bnngs mto the home make the hansihon to parenthood that much harder for the man' As we read the interviews and t)egan to analyse the information, it became clear that the data the fathers were giving us could be grouped mto the following categones expedations, reality and hansition to mastery
We went to prenatal classes and they make it sound bke the pam starts m twenty mmutes and they get less and less and morefi-equ«itand then there's a kid — well forget it I mean Expectahons that's not life So I was a bttle womed They didn't prepare you that it would go bang, bang, bang! Expectahons could be descnbed as the father's vision
before the birth These expectations were developed fi-om Several fathers menhoned that thefilmsshowed 'too many conversahons with fiiends and family, the previous women flippmg out' It was a general perception that the expenence some of them had had with newboms, and also films were finghtenmg One father descnbed other fathers from the more fomial insights gained through prenatal leavmg the room m fear and disgust as the films were dasses and reacbng They descnt)e feebngs of nervous antiapahon — they didn't know what to expect but had a shown Yet another father said he got bored very easdy and m certam view of themselves fact fell asleep dunng one of the dasses He felt the dasses I never thought I'd be able to handle that, changmg diapers were pitched at too low a level and were only useful if you and everythmg, but it doesn't bother you if it's your own son knew nothing. A couple of the fathers menhtmed that lack tsfiaviwledge and pi^arah
The experiences of new fathers during the first 3 weeks of life Angela D Henderson RN MSN Assistant Professor, School of Nurstng, Untverstty of Bnhsh Columbia, Vancouver
and A. Jeruse Brouse RN MSN Director of Nursing, Bumaby Hospttal, Bumaby, Bnhsh Columbia, Canada
Accepted for publication 1 August 1990
HENDERSON A.D & BROUSE A J (1991) Journal of Advanced Nurstng 16, 293-298 The experiences of new fathers during the first 3 weeks of life Research has consistently demonstrated that the transition to parenthood is a stressful event As well, the bterature recognizes that the role of the father m North Amencan society is m the process of change The purpose of this qualitative study was to clanfy our understandmg of the expenence of new fathers durmg the first 3 weeks postpartum Twenty-two fathers were mterviewed m their homes usmg a semi-structured mterview format Fmdmgs suggest that new fathers go through a predictable three-stage process durmg the transition to fatherhood In addition, factors were identified which affect the transition Nursmg mterventions were suggested to faahtate this process and imphcations for hiture study mduded
TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD Research has consistently demonshated that the hansihon to parenthood is a shessfid event As well, the bterature recognizes that the role of the father m North Amencan soaety ts m the process of change However, it has only been within the past 2 decades that the bterature has addressed the miportance of the father Only m the past decade b«i nursmg begun to recognize and mdude the father m the birth process and the followmg postpartum hospitabzahon penod Researdi and parenhng educahon programmes have foaised on the m o t h e r - ^ d relahonu u I L I. ^ 1 . f, I. «!.»„,-*„,„= an,^ have aup when looking at parent-intant mterachons and nave neglected to mdude the father as an unportant member m th^reUhonship-Newprognmuneshaveoftenbeendevelopedandhavefailedtomdudefathersasequalpartners As u 1. 1 J I. I ., ^day, mformed that their parhapahon was voluntary men are now expected not ordy to fulfil tbe role of provider but also to be nurtunng, canng, mvolved parents (Battles Mediexloiogy 1988, Robmson & Barret 1986) It is of the utmost signifi- In orckr to uneover the meamngs that expenences held for cance that it IS now known for certain that infants do, m thesefathers,a phenomenologieal approach was used This fact, attach to fathers as well as to mothers' (Hanson & methexl allowed us to understand dient expenences by Bozett 1986) The soaalizahon process necessary to help analysmg events m their lives Qualitahve methe}dole>gies fathers to acbeve tbs dual role has not been available recognize that 'mdividuals are not always reduabk and because of tbe lack of botb cultural and inshtuhonal sup- measurable objects that exist inekpendently of their port (Fisbbem 1984) One way to mcrease the present body bstoncal, soaal and cultural contexts' (Duffy 1987) The of knowkdge is to recognize that fathers are equaUy researeher attempts to understand the dient's reality and important partiapants in mfant caregiving and indude the context m wbch tbs reality exists Tbs perspechve them as a major focus of study helps to make expliat the extreme complexity of human expenence and is therefeve an mvaluabk guide to dmical prachce PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Hienomanology, with its focus on 'the unfolefang of the The purpose of the study was to clanfy our understanding phenomoion itself [to] guiek the logic of the inquiry' of the expenence of new fathers durmg tbs cntical penod (Giorgi 1975), emphasizes the importaiKe of the researeher understandmg the meaning that people's expenences hold of famdy development for than Anyone who has lived the expenence is a valid parhapant Sample sizes are usually small because of the Settmg, sample and procedure volume of verbal data to be analysed (Smieklowsb 1986) Sampk size is judged to be adequate when no new mforTwenty-two couples were mterviewed m then- hcHnes at mahcm is bemg generated and partiapants are echoing ^Tproxunately 3 weeks pcstpartum. The mothers were each other meiueied m the mterviews as past researeii mdicat« tbat some mothers find it difi^ndt to accept fathere' mvolvetnent with their cMdren out erf 'fear that their twntory has ANALYSIS beoj mvackd' (Rcjbmson & Barret 1986) So, to avoid this The mterviews were analysed using the photomenoiogical prtMem, parents were mterviewal togetl^r and were not process of analysis descnbed by Giorgi (1975,1987) When 294
Expenmas of new fathers
uhbzmg tbs af^jroach, analysis and date colledion are conducted concurrently, with analysis leading to emergmg themes bemg incorporated mto upcommg interviews The process of analysis begms by readmg the typewntten transcnpt to gam a feebng for the tone of the mterview Next, the interview is reread and themes or 'meaning umts' are ldenhfied The researcher then tnes to identify relahonships between the themes and to express those relationships m psychological terms as opposed to the language of the parhapants Insights gamed are then validated m subsequent mterviews Validahon is an important part of the process as it groimds the psychological assumphons m the reality of those who bved the expenence It IS customary to lndude verbatim statements fi-om the parhcipants when reportmg phenomenological research m order to allow the reader to judge the vabdity of the mterpretations
RESULTS One of the sigmficant themes mvolved the mtense emotions expenenced by these new fathers Time and hme agam, fathers talked about their fiushation and anger at the confusion they felt when faced with the need to make deasions based on eonfbetmg mformahon For example, fathers felt that at prenatal dasses the mformahon either terrified than unnecessanly or failed to prepare them for the vanahons m normal labours Tbs resulted in them feebng unprepared when the event actually occurred One father aptly descnbed b s understandmg of what lcibour mvolved
The inconsistent information ccmhnued to be a problem dunng the hospital stay Although tbs was more of a problem for the mothers, the fathers were upset on behalf of their wives You get so much confiidmg lnformahon Every nurse has their own opinions so it's very difficult to know who to bebeve Then they all disagree with the books you read and each other So you get a barrage of information but it all conflids and conhadids Fathers were hesitant to clanfy tbs mformahon hecause of their percephon that the nurses were 'so busy' and 'run ofSF their feet' Parents almost felt guilty about 'mtermptmg' the nurses to ask queshons In many cases, they were tom between the wish to go home and feebngs of worry at>out their abilities to manage once they got there They felt unprepared by the hospital stay to cope
Source of support When at home, it seems that many parents were so distressed that they were unable to be supportive to each other As Humemck & Bugen (1987) reported often the father's only source of support was the mother who was also expenenang a difficult hansition As stated by Battles (1988), 'the spontaneous nature of an infant and the relative disorder a newbom bnngs mto the home make the hansihon to parenthood that much harder for the man' As we read the interviews and t)egan to analyse the information, it became clear that the data the fathers were giving us could be grouped mto the following categones expedations, reality and hansition to mastery
We went to prenatal classes and they make it sound bke the pam starts m twenty mmutes and they get less and less and morefi-equ«itand then there's a kid — well forget it I mean Expectahons that's not life So I was a bttle womed They didn't prepare you that it would go bang, bang, bang! Expectahons could be descnbed as the father's vision
before the birth These expectations were developed fi-om Several fathers menhoned that thefilmsshowed 'too many conversahons with fiiends and family, the previous women flippmg out' It was a general perception that the expenence some of them had had with newboms, and also films were finghtenmg One father descnbed other fathers from the more fomial insights gained through prenatal leavmg the room m fear and disgust as the films were dasses and reacbng They descnt)e feebngs of nervous antiapahon — they didn't know what to expect but had a shown Yet another father said he got bored very easdy and m certam view of themselves fact fell asleep dunng one of the dasses He felt the dasses I never thought I'd be able to handle that, changmg diapers were pitched at too low a level and were only useful if you and everythmg, but it doesn't bother you if it's your own son knew nothing. A couple of the fathers menhtmed that lack tsfiaviwledge and pi^arah
