{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,22]],"date-time":"2026-01-22T14:42:39Z","timestamp":1769092959681,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"13-14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,5,4]],"date-time":"2015-05-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1430697600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Clinical Nursing"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Aim and objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper aims to explore the ways in which neonatal nurses understand the experience of parents who have experienced infertility, conceived a baby via <jats:italic>in\u00a0vitro<\/jats:italic> fertilisation and delivered an extremely premature infant. The chance of a poor long\u2010term outcome for the baby is significant; therefore, parental anguish plays out in the neonatal intensive care.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Current literature suggests that infertility is a significant issue for ageing women and many couples experience multiple cycles of invitro\u2010fertilisation (<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content>) treatment to achieve a pregnancy. Babies conceived through <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content> are more likely to have genetic disorders, and be born prematurely. When the baby is born through <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content> and is also born extremely prematurely, it creates a crisis situation for the parents. This paper will focus on the parental anguish of achieving a pregnancy through <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content> to see the baby born extremely prematurely (defined as \u2264 24\u2010week gestation). It will examine parental anguish from caregiver perspective of the neonatal nurse who supports the parents through this very difficult time.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study used interviews with neonatal nurses, and drew insights from interpretative phenomenology.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This research used a combination of a questionnaire and a series of interviews in a qualitative study informed by phenomenology. The analysis of the interview data involved the creation of key themes following extensive coding of thematic statements and the analysis of the emerging themes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper outlines the neonatal nurses\u2019 understanding of parental anguish and overwhelming sadness in parents whose baby was conceived by <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content>, and was also born extremely prematurely. The theme of \u2018seeking parenthood\u2019 was synthesised from two sub\u2010themes \u2013 \u2018longing for a baby\u2019 and \u2018the desperation to become parents\u2019.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study identified that neonatal nurses bear witness to parental anguish as their hopes of taking home a live baby might not be realised. The time, effort and money required to achieve a pregnancy does not mean that the baby will be spared the outcomes of extreme prematurity and the risk factors associated with <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content>. The parents may be left empty handed. Therefore, the word precious becomes a metaphor for the <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content> baby as the neonatal team try desperately to give the parents their much longed baby.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Relevance to clinical practice<\/jats:title><jats:p>Delayed child bearing has an impact on fertility, with maternal age having the most impact on the ability to conceive. Babies conceived through <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content> technologies have a higher risk of genetic abnormalities and being born prematurely, and this will impact on the neonatal intensive care availability. Extreme prematurity and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">IVF<\/jats:styled-content> can significantly impact on the baby's outcome. Witnessing parental anguish can be a major source of stress for the neonatal nurses. Neonatal nurses need to develop strategies not only to help the parents but also to prevent the parents\u2019 overwhelming sadness from affecting their ability to function in the neonatal intensive care unit.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.12811","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,5,4]],"date-time":"2015-05-04T11:23:32Z","timestamp":1430738612000},"page":"1885-1894","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Desperately seeking parenthood: neonatal nurses reflect on parental anguish"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"24","author":[{"given":"Janet","family":"Green","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health University of Technology Sydney NSW Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Philip","family":"Darbyshire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Schools of Nursing &amp; Midwifery Monash University Clayton VIC Australia"},{"name":"Schools of Nursing &amp; Midwifery Flinders 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