Under The Knife, at the Brink of Life: Lived Experiences of Fathers whose Spouses are Hospitalized for High-Risk Pregnancy

Abstract

Male involvement in pregnancy and childbirth influences pregnancy outcomes. It reduces negative maternal health behaviors risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, fetal growth restriction and infant mortality. According to Kaye (2014), there is an epidemiological and physiological evidence that male involvement reduces maternal stress (by emotional, logistical and financial support), increases uptake of prenatal care, leads to cessation of risk behaviors (such as smoking), and ensures men’s involvement in their future parental roles. This study seeks to know the lived experiences of fathers with spouses, which were hospitalized for high risk pregnancy at Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC). The qualitative phenomenological design was utilized in the study and criterion sampling was utilized to interview the seven participants. An unstructured interview was used to gather data. The salient findings revealed that the live experiences of fathers with spouses hospitalized for high risk pregnancy were categorized into two main themes, positive experiences and negative experiences. The participants’ experiences was like “under the knife, at the brink of life”, which portrays that the threshold of danger always come with pregnancy but the fathers are trying their best to overcome these. Therefore, despite the odds, the positive responses overlapped the negative experiences they had. The researchers forwards the idea that the positive experiences should be the goal of significant others towards the fathers with spouses hospitalized due to high risk pregnancy. This then requires the moral, economical, emotional and personal and spiritual support of persons around him such as peer, family member which was experienced by the fathers hence should be maintained. While the negative experiences should be avoided, if not totally eliminated, so as not to cause anxiety for father respondents. Significant others should also be sensitive enough to the feelings of the participants in order to acquire a great impact to the personal, emotional, economic, social wellbeing of the fathers.