Creating paths: living with a very-low-birth-weight infant.
OBJECTIVE
To describe parents' method of adaptation to the problems of caring for a very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infant at home.


METHODS
Exploratory, involving three interview sessions, 1 month, 3 months, and 5 months after hospital discharge of a VLBW infant.


METHODS
A newborn intensive-care unit in a tertiary-care center.


METHODS
Fourteen parents of VLBW (< 1,500 g) infants after hospital discharge.


RESULTS
A basic social process, Creating Paths, was identified. It is the continuous process experienced by parents living with a VLBW infant the first 5 months after hospital discharge. The process consists of three stages: gathering, emerging, and affirming.


CONCLUSIONS
This grounded theory systematically tracks and describes the adaptation process of parents with VLBW infants during the first 5 months of living at home. The theory may be used to anticipate concerns and provide guidance and support to parents and their infants.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009742:Nursing Theory; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*