Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore and describe, from the nurses' perspective, the labor support that intrapartum nurses provide to women anticipating a preterm birth.

Design: Qualitative; Husserlian Phenomenological Approach.

Setting: Interviews were conducted face-to-face in a private setting of the participants choice, that was comfortable and convenient to each participant.

Patients/Participants: A purposive, snowball sampling design was used to identify nurse participants who had experience supporting women anticipating the birth of a preterm infant; ten intrapartum nurses were recruited. All the nurse participants were female with an age range of 26–56 and a mean of 38 years. Seven of the 10 participants (70%) had a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, two participants (20%) had an Associates Degree in Nursing  and one participant (10%) had a Diploma in Nursing. The years of overall nursing experience ranged from 4 to 36 years with a mean of 14. Participants’ years of nursing experience as an intrapartum nurse ranged from 4 to 35 years, with a mean of 12.

Methods: Data collection included face-to-face unstructured, open-ended interviews, methodological and personal journals, and field notes. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological data analysis method was conducted and Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) trustworthiness criteria were used to ensure rigor.

Results: Ten theme clusters emerged from the data: two primary theme clusters and eight supporting subtheme clusters. Primary theme cluster authentically attending had the supporting subthemes of befriending, allowing time and space, interpreting what matters, and intentional shifting. Subtheme clusters of teaching and learning, knowing and not knowing, recreating home, and knowing when to call pedi support the primary theme of bridging.

Conclusion/Implications for nursing practice: Knowledge gained from this study has significance for nursing practice, health professionals, and educators by providing a novel description or essence of the support that intrapartum nurses provide to the high-risk population of women awaiting the birth of a preterm infant.

Keywords: Nursing Support, Anticipating the birth of a pre-term infant, Phenomenology.