Fathers’ emotional involvement with the neonate: impact of the umbilical cord cutting experience

Abstract

AIMS: This paper is a report on a study analysing the effect of the umbilical cord cutting experience on fathers' emotional involvement with their infants. BACKGROUND: Participation in childbirth offers an opportunity for father and mother to share the childbirth experience, so it is vital that midwives improve the fathers' participation in this event. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental study with a quantitative methodology was implemented. METHODS: One hundred and five fathers were recruited as part of a convenience sample in a Maternity Public Hospital in a Metropolitan City in Portugal, between January and May of 2008. The Bonding Scale, the Portuguese version of the 'Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale' was used to evaluate the fathers' emotional involvement with the neonate at different moments: before childbirth, first day after childbirth and first month after childbirth. After childbirth, the fathers were divided into three separate groups depending on their umbilical cord cutting experience. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that the emotional involvement between father and child tends to increase during the first days after childbirth and to decrease when evaluated 1 month after birth, for fathers who did not cut the umbilical cord. However, fathers who cut the umbilical cord demonstrate an improvement in emotional involvement 1 month later. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that the umbilical cord cutting experience benefits the father's emotional involvement with the neonate, supporting the benefits of his participation and empowerment in childbirth.