The lifeworld of multiple-birth families

Abstract

<div lang="en" class="abs"><p class="abs_header">Abstract</p><p><em>Background:</em> A multiple-birth family is one that is expecting or has same-age children, such as twins, triplets, or more. Being a parent of such families is different than other families.</p><p><em>Methods:</em> The hermeneutic phenomenological research approach and van Manen’s method were employed in this research. The data consists of parents’ open-form interviews conducted with nineteen parents of twins less than five years old, the documents that they submitted in writing thereafter, and researcher’s notes.</p><p><em>Results:</em> Three essential core themes characterize a multiple-birth parent lifeworld: “a state of constant vigilance”, “ensuring that they can continue to cope”, and “opportunities to share with other people”.</p><p><em>Conclusions:</em> Modalities enable us to view the lifeworld of these families and their need for different kinds of support and information from social and health care professionals. It is important for professionals to broaden their understanding and to have concrete contact with the lived experience to see things just as parents experience them. Family care nursing with multiple-birth families should be strengthened by evidence-basedresearch.</p></div>