Table 2.
Themes, subthemes and sample quotes from the 19 interviews with parents
| Theme/subtheme | Sample quotes |
|---|---|
| 1. Reassurance | |
| Baby is OK | “and that he was moving, so much reassurance” (68; Partner; Preterm; Cardiac massage) |
| Having baby close | “When he eventually was fully born, they pulled him out and placed him on the trolley and, from a father's point of view, it was a thousand times better than having him further away” (90; Partner; Term; Airway suction) |
| Confidence in care | “being able to see what they were doing and reassurance that he was been taken care of and they were doing the best they could” (68; Partner; Preterm; Cardiac massage) |
| Knowing what's going on | “there would be a big comfort there when you could actually see what was going on properly” (2; Mother; Term; Dry and cover) |
| Dad as informant | “It worked perfectly for us, because he could see and then he could reassure me” (90; Mother; Term; Airway suction) |
| 2. Involvement of the family | |
| Opportunity for contact | “it was really nice that he could be there and I could still see him instead of just taking him away right away” (2; Mother; Term; Dry and cover) |
| Family involvement | “It was more by watching them that I knew what was going on than what I was being told” (68; Partner; Preterm; Cardiac massage) |
| Normality | “So it's nice having her just that bit closer to her and be able to hold her hand and getting a bit of normality out of birth, it's not all traumatising. There's that little tiny bit of goodness to have her there and see” (88; Mother; Preterm; Surfactant) |
| 3. Staff communication | |
| Communication | “and that was all really for the trolley in a way because each bit of it was kind of…I think you felt more because you could see the process, they would explain the process” (90; Partner; Term; Dry and cover) |
| Experience | “The only thing I can remember was the anaesthetist who was standing behind us say ‘what's that there for?’ and ‘whose is that?’ and ‘what they doing?’ and everyone was talking about it in the room as they were lying me down. All the doctors were all talking and explaining to each other what it was and what it was there for” (13; Mother; Term; Dry and cover) |
| 4. Reservations | |
| Reservations about witnessing resuscitation | “It would have scared me, it would have frightened me. I mean, I would have wanted to obviously see so I knew he was alright but at the same time any normal person would be scared” (3; Mother; Term; Dry and cover) |
| Negative emotions | “It is quite stressful seeing doctors working like that” (68; Partner; Preterm; Cardiac massage) “It's a stressful scary process, isn't it, watching things happen to your baby like that” (92; Mother; Preterm; Surfactant) |
| Worries about the impact on staff | “Because there is also the side of it that there is a lot of pressure on them that they are, like things turned out particularly well with us, but for some babies who might need more work it's a lot of pressure on them trying to resus a baby in front of mum. I think that must be very, very hard” (62; Mother; Term; Mask ventilation) |
| 5. Experiences of the trolley | |
| Practical issues | “They had to cut the cord because it was too far away physically to get her to [the trolley]” (62; Partner; Term; Mask ventilation) “If she was on the little one I wouldn't have seen it anyway because of the big screen” (66; Partner; Preterm; Cardiac massage) |
| Comparison with standard resuscitation equipment | “They looked quite scary—the big resuscitaire ones” (52; Mother; Preterm; Dry and cover) |
Although 30 participants were interviewed, the total number of interviews conducted was 19 because mothers were interviewed with their birth partners.
Number=participant number; Mother/Partner; Term=Term Birth; Preterm=Preterm Birth; Type of resuscitation.