Pre Term Families — Visitors or Colleagues

Preterm birth is a crisis for both baby and family. The long term outcome for both will be greatly influenced by the families’ ability to move from the grief and impotence associated with the loss of expected full-term parenthood through to active involvement as a preterm parent and eventual acceptance of parenthood.

The families' experience of the crisis is described for both normal and special situations. The implications for staff and family of more active participation of the family are discussed and some methods of involving the family are described.