Emotional reactions of parents after the birth of an infant with extremely low birth weight.

Emotional reactions of parents after the birth of an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infant were followed during the early period of hospital care. Ten pairs of parents participated. The process concerning feelings of sadness, anger, fear/anxiety and joy was measured by Single Systems Design (SSD). The infants were born in gestation weeks 23-27. The emotional reactions of the mothers and fathers did not differ significantly. There was emotional confusion during the first weeks of parenthood, then the negative feelings decreased and joy increased. But at the end of a long period of care, the negative feelings reappeared. It is important to be aware that the first weeks after birth can be marked by emotional confusion and that negative feelings can return when the infant's medical status has been brought under control. The latter might be explained emotionally as a delayed crisis reaction.