Experiences of Japanese men during the transition to fatherhood

The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning of the lived experience of Japanese men during the transition to fatherhood.

Hermeneutic phenomenology was used. Participants were 12 Japanese men who had a first-time healthy child younger than 1 year of age, who were sought by using a purposeful sampling technique.

The following six themes were identified: (1) feeling like a father; (2) realizing oneself as a husband; (3) finding the wife's pregnancy and delivery for the first time to be an impressive experience; (4) sharing time and space with one's child; (5) being aware of a change and trying to adjust to a new life; and (6) being aware of the difference between oneself and one's wife. These six themes created essence of the phenomenon of "becoming a father."

This study revealed Japanese men's own voice on becoming first-time fathers of infants.