Rewarding Experiences of First Time Pakistani Fathers - a Phenomenological Study

The postnatal period is a very significant period in a man's life, especially in the case of first time fathers; this may be in the form of rewards or challenges along with the required support system. It is important to understand, that men also go thorough transition like women and experience sociocultural, psychological and physiological changes, therefore require support from healthcare professionals.

The purpose of this study was to describe, and interpret the experiences of men as first time fathers. A qualitative study, using the Van Manen's methodological approach for hermeneutic phenomenology was selected, in order to capture the meaning of this phenomenon.

Seven men were selected from pediatric consulting clinic of a large private university hospital on the basis of purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded. The audio recorded interviews were transcribed and then translated from Urdu to English. Findings of the data formed a core notion of "Role Transition to fatherhood" and further led to various themes and related categories. This paper will focus on the theme ‘Rewards’ and its categories.