The lived experiences of South African parents during high-risk pregnancy and prolonged neonatal intensive care unit admission.

Background: Becoming a parent is a significant life event; however, premature birth abruptly alters this transition, creating short- and long-term consequences for both parents and infants. Aim: This study sought to explore the lived experiences of South African parents throughout the trajectory of premature birth and the subsequent hospitalisation of their baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Setting: The research was conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa, within the private healthcare setting. Methods: A quantitative, exploratory and descriptive phenomenological study design was used. Purposive sampling identified participants, and 11 interviews were conducted with eight mothers and three fathers. Inductive thematic analysis using MAXQDA identified emerging codes, categories and themes. Results: Three themes emerged: the journey to the NICU and the pregnancy context, transitioning to parenthood within the unnatural NICU environment, and the emotional journey during the prolonged admission. Parents reported limited psychosocial support from doctors, nurses and other parents. Conclusion: The challenges experienced by the parents mirrored common themes identified in global research. Parents described the psychosocial challenges during the pregnancy and neonatal admission, and the difficulties of achieving the parental role within the NICU environment. Confounding this was the limited exposure to formal psychosocial counselling by trained professionals. Contribution: This research highlights the psychosocial challenges experienced by parents during the admission period in private-sector NICUs and the need for increased, planned and structured psychosocial support.