Fathers Reflect on Their Experiences of the Receipt of a Postnatal Diagnosis of Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21

This exploratory study investigated the experiences of fathers upon the postnatal news that their newborn babies had been given diagnoses of Down syndrome. Thirteen fathers were interviewed about their experiences of immediate postnatal support. Participants had biological children born with Down syndrome and interacted with the western medical community regarding the child’s birth. Fathers often experienced the messengers of the news of a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome as insensitive and pessimistic. They felt strongly that hospitals should be more prepared, and that medical personnel should have better training for delivering a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.