title: Parental experiences of providing skin-to-skin care to their newborn infant--part 1: a qualitative systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe parental experiences of providing skin-to-skin care (SSC) to their newborn infants.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  SSC care for newborn infants has been reported to have positive physiological and psychological benefits to the infants and their parents. No systematic review regarding parental experiences has been identified.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this first part of a meta-study, the findings of a systematic literature review on parental experience of SSC care are presented.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four databases were searched, without year or language limitations, up until December 2013. Manual searches were performed in reference lists and in a bibliography of the topic.
  
  
  METHODS
  After a quality-appraisal process, data from the original articles were extracted and analysed using qualitative content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The systematic and manual searches led to the inclusion of 29 original qualitative papers from nine countries, reporting experiences from 401 mothers and 94 fathers. Two themes that characterized the provision of SSC emerged: a restoring experience and an energy-draining experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review has added scientific and systematic knowledge about parental experiences of providing SSC. Further research about fathers' experiences is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Care Sciences, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden; School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; agneta.anderzenkarlsson@orebroll.se.
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anderzén-Carlsson
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Hospital Universitário, Sao Luis, MA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Zeni Carvalho
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Lamy
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Care Sciences, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden; School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eriksson
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D060127:Kangaroo-Mother Care Method / Q000523:psychology; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology; D009769:Object Attachment; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn
keywords: Kangaroo mother care; meta-study; newborn infant; qualitative systematic review; skin-to-skin care