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Clinging to closeness: The parental view on developing a close bond with their infants in a NICU
Heli Mäkelä1, Anna Axelin2, Nancy Feeley3
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland; Satakunta Hospital District, 28500 Pori, Finland.
Objective:
To identify and understand how parents develop a close bond to their infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Design:
A qualitative descriptive study; closeness and separation stories recorded in a smartphone application by the parents were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Setting And Participants:
Twenty-three parents of nineteen infants who were taken care of in a level III NICU in Finland.
Findings:
Bonding moments and a disrupted dyadic parent-infant relationship continuously alternated as in a rollercoaster ride during the hospital stay. Transitions from closeness to separation and vice versa were the most emotional stages on the journey. Parents had a natural desire to be close and create a bond with their infants; however, they accepted the separation as part of NICU care.
Key Conclusions:
The findings indicate that closeness with their infant was the power that parents stored and that led them through unavoidable separation to normal parenthood.
Implications For Practice:
Bonding and attachment will occur naturally if parents are close to their infants and permitted privacy and time with their infants. NICU staff should create a peaceful and calming environment that enables and supports this bonding process.
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