Theme | Quotations |
---|---|
Expecting reassurance and support | |
▸ Overwhelming responsibility | “All I could think of was meningitis, you think of the worst case scenario and that to me was meningitis.” (Mother, 33)* “We know a little girl. She had a fever and she is now quadriplegic because it wasn't treated.” (Mother, 26) “The first thing thought of with fever is convulsions because I don't know what I would do if that happened.” (Mother, 32) “I am very worried about SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). I want to make sure he is not going to die on me because he is too hot.” (Father, 35) “It is hard to know what could be causing fever in such a little one which is why we came straight over to find out what's going on.” (Mother, 27) “We want to make sure that what we are doing is correct.” (Father, 32) “He has a fever you know...what we do… there should be some sort of a protocol for parents to be taught what to do.” (Father, 35) |
▸ Heightened vulnerability | “Babies can deteriorate so quickly. As a first-time parent you don't know much, being advised, told what to do is quite important.” (Mother, 27) “We weren't allowed to give him any medicine because he is so little so we didn't know what to do. So we took him straight to the doctor.” (Father, 35) “They can't communicate with you so even though they may appear to be feeding well or passing water adequately you don't know what's going on.” (Father, 37) “What worries me is that he is a new born, hasn't got a proper immune system and if he has a fever there is something wrong there.” (Mother, 30) |
*Numbers within the brackets refer to the reporting parent's age.