Paternal Experiences with Childbirth and Adjustment to Parenthood

Problem and Hypothesis: A father's childbirth experience is an important and often neglected topic despite the fact that the paternal childbirth experience has been found to influence overall family adjustment. This study was designed to advocate for best practice to optimize health outcomes for childbearing families. It was hypothesized that father involvement during childbirth will have a positive effect on the transition and adjustment to parenthood and that fathers will identify positive and negative perceptions of their experience during childbirth.

Methods: The purposes of this study were to describe prenatal and postpartum adjustment to new parenthood among psychosocial variables and paternal experiences of sharing labor and delivery with his spouse.

Design: This mixed methods descriptive study included quantitative and qualitative data from the responses provided by 146 married men, aged 19-53, in self-report questionnaires. As part of a larger longitudinal study of military and civilian mothers and fathers, participants were recruited during their wives’ prenatal care visits in both military and civilian obstetrical care settings.

Data gathering strategies: Eligible subjects had the study described by an introduction letter, provided informed consent and agreed to complete both prenatal questionnaires during the last trimester of the pregnancy and again 6-8 weeks after the birth of the newborn. The main focus of this study is to describe prenatal variables (demographics, marital satisfaction, paternal-fetal attachment), intrapartal variables (childbirth satisfaction, paternal childbirth involvement) and postpartum variables (parenting sense of competence, ease of transition to parenthood) as well as paternal perspectives about prenatal childbirth education and childbirth experiences.

Data analysis: Quantitative data were examined to determine the relationships among prenatal, intrapartal and postpartum variables. Quantitative data were analyzed by inferential statistics, Chi Square, correlations, and multiple regression analyses. The qualitative data were examined for themes using content analysis where the fathers described both positive and negative experiences.

Interpretation: Findings supported the Nichols’ (1992) Adjustment to New Parenthood Model where intrapartal and postpartum variables are positively correlated and results in positive adjustment to parenthood. Additionally, the men provided important information about a father’s positive and negative experiences surrounding the birth of his child.  Findings support and expand previous research that men may be frustrated and may feel unprepared to be helpful when their spouse is experiences discomfort or distress during labor.

Implications for nursing practice and future research: The findings from this study are expected to provide evidence for the development, assessment and implementation of interventions designed to promote father involvement during labor and delivery. Future research is needed to explore both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore men’s childbearing experiences as more men are with their partners during labor. The results also may guide future research designed to identify resources and test interventions designed to maximize childbirth and new parent experiences for men and to further test the application of the Adjustment to New Parenthood Model.