Abstract

This paper provides a parent perspective of guilt on the special care baby unit (SCBU) through
the voice of a mother of a premature baby, Arthur, born at 29+1 weeks’ gestation. The focus of
this piece is on the experience of having a ‘healthy’ preterm baby (defined by a stable condition
and no complex medical or intervention needs) and what ‘guilt’ looks like from this view. There is
an urgent need for future research to work more with fathers and the wider family to examine
their roles better. The paper will incorporate evidence from previous literature to delineate facets
of guilt and how an understanding of this can help clinicians to better support the individual
needs of families. Recommendations will be made for how a knowledge of parent guilt could
shape practice on the neonatal intensive care unit.