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Updated: Jul 29, 2025

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
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Parental Narratives of Bonding and Relational Experiences with Preterm Infants Born at 23 to 24 Weeks-A Qualitative

Anniina Väliaho1, Liisa Lehtonen2,3, Anna Axelin4

  • 1Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Parental bonding with extremely premature infants (23-24 weeks gestation) can be fostered through NICU staff support, physical closeness, and care participation. Earlier parenting experience also positively influences this crucial bond.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Parent-infant psychology
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Infants born at 23-24 weeks gestation face significant risks, challenging parent-infant bonding due to potential loss and separation.
  • The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment presents unique hurdles for establishing early parent-child relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore parents' lived experiences and narratives regarding bonding formation with infants born extremely prematurely (23-24 weeks gestation).
  • To identify factors influencing the development of parent-infant relationships in the NICU setting and beyond.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative descriptive study utilizing retrospective semi-structured interviews with Finnish parents.
  • Analysis of parents' narratives on bonding using a deductive framework focused on parental bonding.

Main Results:

  • Despite traumatic births, some parents found the bonding process surprisingly natural.
  • NICU staff support, opportunities for infant care, and physical closeness significantly enhanced bonding.
  • Prior parenting experience emerged as a novel factor positively impacting bonding.

Conclusions:

  • Psychological support for parents is crucial in NICU settings.
  • Promoting parent-infant closeness and encouraging parental involvement in care are essential, even for the most vulnerable infants.
  • These elements are key to fostering healthy parent-infant bonding in neonatal intensive care.

Keywords:
extremely preterm infantparental participationparent–infant bondingqualitative study

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