IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i11p6050-d1163728.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Parent Experiences in the NICU and Transition to Home

Author

Listed:
  • Christine M. Spence

    (Department of Counseling and Special Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA)

  • Corri L. Stuyvenberg

    (Rehabilitation Science Graduate Program, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA)

  • Audrey E. Kane

    (Department of Occupational Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA)

  • Jennifer Burnsed

    (Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA)

  • Stacey C. Dusing

    (Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA)

Abstract

Families ( n = 12) with infants born at <29 weeks gestation shared their experiences while in the NICU and transitioning home. Parents were interviewed 6–8 weeks after NICU discharge, including some during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings regarding the parent experience in the NICU were focused around challenges navigating parent-infant separation, social isolation, communication difficulties, limited knowledge of preterm infants, mental health challenges. Parents also discussed supports that were present and supports they wished were present, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on their experiences. In the transition to home, primary experiences included the sudden nature of the transition, anxiety around discharge preparation, and the loss of the support from nursing staff. During the first few weeks at home, parents expressed joy and anxiety, particularly around feeding. The COVID-19 pandemic limited emotional, informational, and physical support to parents and resulted in limited mutual support from other parents of infants in the NICU. Parents of preterm infants in the NICU present with multiple stressors, rendering attending to parental mental health crucial. NICU staff need to address logistical barriers and familial priorities impacting communication and parent-infant bonding. Providing multiple opportunities for communication, participating in caretaking activities, and meeting other families can be important sources of support and knowledge for parents of very preterm infants.

Suggested Citation

  • Christine M. Spence & Corri L. Stuyvenberg & Audrey E. Kane & Jennifer Burnsed & Stacey C. Dusing, 2023. "Parent Experiences in the NICU and Transition to Home," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-19, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:11:p:6050-:d:1163728
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/11/6050/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/11/6050/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:11:p:6050-:d:1163728. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.