To Feel Abandoned in an Insecure Situation: Parents' Experiences of Separation From Their Newborn Due to the Mother Being COVID-19 Positive.
Emilia Biskop Lindgren, Ylva Thernström Blomqvist, Barbro Diderholm and 1 others
PMID 36999904WHAT IT FOUND
Parents separated from their newborn because the mother had COVID-19 reported feeling abandoned, lonely and uncertain.
They said seeing the baby through a window, having a deputy parent present and information from staff before reunion could help them feel calmer and prepared.
Key findings
01Parents described feeling abandoned, lonely and uncertain after separation from their newborn, with themes of creating safety, an unexpected start to parenthood and reunion.
02Parents said good communication and a deputy parent helped them feel calmer and involved; they wanted to see the baby through a window because it would ease worry.
03Parents reported needing practical information before reunion and that separation affected their relationship with the newborn and parenting afterward, sometimes for a long time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 11 parents were interviewed, so the themes describe this small group rather than all separated families. Parents were interviewed after discharge, sometimes within the first year, so accounts rely on memory and may be shaped by ongoing distress. The study did not compare families who were separated with families who were not, and it did not measure whether any supportive action reduced harm. The sample was from two Swedish NICUs and all parents spoke Swedish or English, so transfer to other settings and languages is uncertain. Mothers' own illness and the newborn's health problems could have affected how parents experienced and reported the separation. Not all eligible parents participated, and only parents were interviewed, not staff or other family members.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that window viewing, deputy parents or staff information prevent long-term distress. It reports parents' experiences after separation and did not compare outcomes or test any intervention.