Background: Fathers are important to infant outcomes. Infants of involved fathers have improved weight gain, sleep, and psychosocial behaviors. Father involvement with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infants reduces the length of stay. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe involvement, confidence, and beliefs of fathers of infants who were hospitalized in the NICU and discharged home in order to begin to investigate NICU father involvement from a longitudinal perspective. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study was conducted 4 to 5 years after the initial NICU stay using telephone interviews. Fathers who participated in this study were selected from participants of a previous NICU study. Qualitative analysis was conducted using standard procedures for grounded theory. Results: Nineteen fathers participated in the study. The major themes were “It was scary,” “Just be there,” “It was rough,” “It's not about yourself,” “A special bond,” and “Almost a treat.” The fathers reported that the NICU providers, nurses, and staff helped them to overcome uncertainty and lack of knowledge, which helped them improve their confidence and involvement during the NICU stay. Implications for Practice: Fathers see nurses as a source of support. Nurses can encourage fathers to visit regularly and participate in infant care activities. NICU presence aids fathers in developing confidence and knowledge in parenting during their child's infancy, which can set the stage for ongoing involvement. Implications for Research: Future work should continue to focus on longitudinal studies of fathering and the role of the NICU in encouraging involvement and parenting readiness.

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To explore the experience of fathering a previous Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) infant four years after hospitalization. Design and methods: Nineteen fathers of former NICU infants were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule. Results: Most of the fathers had children with ongoing health issues (84%). The median age of the fathers was 38 years old. Racial demographics included 12 white fathers (63%), 5 black fathers (26%), and 2 Hispanic fathers (11%). Themes that emerged included adjustments, prepared for anything, closeness, ambivalent normalcy, and vigilance. These fathers of former infants with health issues made 'adjustments' in their lives to be available and better fathers for their children. They familiarized themselves with their children's ongoing health issues so they could be better protectors and be 'prepared for anything', but considered their children 'normal kids' while still maintaining 'vigilance' for future health needs. Fathers described that the experience of having an infant with health issues helped them to develop 'closeness' with the child and boosted their confidence as fathers. Conclusion: This involvement/confidence pattern is critically important to establishing and maintaining fathering, especially for fathers of children with disabilities. Practice implications: Pediatric practitioners can continue to encourage this pattern after the initial hospital stay.

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