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Early and late discharge after hospital birth: father's involvement in infant care
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Insights
Early hospital discharge for newborns increased father-infant contact in the first few days. However, this did not significantly impact father involvement in infant care or parental leave use later on.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Family Studies
- Maternal-Child Health
Background:
- Traditional postpartum hospital stays are typically 5-6 days.
- Early discharge initiatives aim to involve parents sooner in infant care.
- Understanding the long-term impact of early discharge on father involvement is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of early mother and infant discharge on father's involvement in baby care.
- To compare father involvement between an early discharge group, a traditional care group, and a non-participating group.
Main Methods:
- Three groups of fathers were studied: experimental (early discharge), control (traditional care), and non-participating.
- Fathers in the experimental group had more contact with their infants during the first 2-4 days post-birth.
- Father involvement was assessed at 2 and 6 weeks postpartum, along with parental leave utilization.
Main Results:
- Fathers in the early discharge group (EG) spent significantly more time with their infants (nappy changing, bathing, holding) during days 2-4 compared to the control group (CG).
- No significant differences in father involvement in infant care were observed between the EG and CG at the 2nd and 6th week follow-ups.
- Utilization of parental leave during the first year did not differ between the groups.
Conclusions:
- While early discharge increases immediate father-infant contact, it does not appear to foster sustained involvement in infant care or influence parental leave decisions.
- The findings suggest that interventions focusing solely on early discharge may not be sufficient to promote long-term father engagement.
- Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for enhancing father involvement beyond the immediate postpartum period.
Abstract:
The father's involvement in his baby's care was studied in three groups of fathers: 49 randomly allocated to an experimental group (EG) with mother and infant discharged from hospital 24-48 h after birth, 52 allocated to a control group (CG) with traditional hospital postpartum care, and 237 randomly selected from parents not interested in participating in an evaluative study of early discharge (NPG). The ordinary length of hospital postpartum stay was 5-6 days. Fathers in EG spent more time with the baby (nappy changing, bathing, holding etc...) than fathers in CG during days 2-4 after the birth. No effect of this extended contact was observed measured as father involvement in infant care during the 2nd and 6th week after the birth, and utilization of parental leave during the first year.