Table 4 Themes extracted after data analysis (in order of frequency)

Prenatal counseling content

Neonatal complications and care

I was told that I would possibly not hear her [baby] cry but that it’s okay (Patient no 7)

We were told there would surely be ups and downs through the hospitalization journey (Patient no 3)

Parents’ role

When you are this early in your pregnancy, they [obstetricians] tend to still use the word ‘fetus’ *laughs* and it’s like a slap in the face, so when we are told to bring a cuddly toy, it makes it a little more real (Patient no 2)

Use of statistics

We weren’t given any stats, which is a good thing because if we aren’t on the right side, we wonder ‘why us?’ (Patient no 2)

We asked for a lot of figures. […] The first thing he [pediatrician] told us was ‘I can save babies that weight 500 grams’, […] and this was reassuring to hear (Patient no 8)

Risk of death

I think she [obstetrician] was able to reason on a case-by-case basis and tell herself that I didn’t need that (Patient no 15)

Of course, at 26 weeks it [risk of death] was mentioned, it’s not what I retained because at that moment, one wants to focus on the positive (Patient no 12)

Because in any way, we wonder about it [risk of death] and get scared so might as well tell us directly (Patient no 3)

Mother’s feelings and reactions

Announcement of a risk of preterm birth

I wasn’t feeling sick and suddenly one day I was told I would stay in the hospital until I delivered (Patient no 4)

I can’t explain it, but I didn’t have much concern about my baby. […] I had a feeling that everything would be all right (Patient no 6)

Prenatal hospitalization experience

When everybody is gone, your family, your husband… it’s important to know that a nurse or someone else can come by if you are feeling down or worried (Patient no 3)

All those medical rounds […], all those people […], every morning for 5 weeks […] it’s unbearable and stressful (Patient no 9)

I remember very well seeing some doctors, but to tell you exactly what happened… It went so fast that I erased many details from my memory. All I knew was that I would have my belly cut open, that it would be a premature baby, but that’s it (Patient no 10)

Circumstances of prenatal counseling

Co-parent present

My husband and I noticed that when seeing the doctor, we didn’t retain the same pieces of information (Patient no 12)

Organization of prenatal counseling

It happened in the hospital room and that was very nice, it’s an intimate place (Patient no 11)

Counselor’s attitude

She [pediatrician] speaks with words which […] are not doctor words, she explains in our own lingo how things will go (Patient no 15)

She [pediatrician] was both attentive and enlightening at the same time (Patient no 11)

Support during prenatal hospitalization

Close relatives

My husband came every day (Patient no 12)

My family and my friends were there to support me (Patient no 14)

Healthcare professionals

They were human, realistic but human, really sweet (Patient no 12)

Shared experience with other parents

A friend of mine had experienced a severe premature birth, and it helped me a lot, it allowed me to have hope (Patient no 11)

Tour / visit of the NICU

We make a big deal about it [NICU] in our minds, we feel like it’s morbid, like walls are dark […] and we get there, and we’re shocked because in fact no, there actually is life (Patient no 2)

[…] in order to understand the equipment, the different probs, the cables, what we could read on the scope and all of that. We already had the information, and it was useful for later (Patient no 3)

Delivery experience

Information on delivery

The hardest thing was… Well, no one could give me a date, tell me when it [delivery] would happen […] if it would be in two days or in three weeks (Patient no 3)

Urgency of delivery

This was the moment I actually realized that there was a great chance that I would be cut open (Patient no 10)

The day I delivered was in a rush, […] I could see everybody run, […] my husband wasn’t there, and I didn’t know if he would be able to come, it was […] very stressful (Patient no 1)

Additional sources of information

Written documents

I got a bunch of booklets, including on cesarean and breastfeeding (Patient no 1)

Internet

I kept searching for pictures of premature babies, parents’ personal tales […] and I stumbled on very grim things (Patient no 8)

Suggestions for improvement

Additional support of information

Some pictures of […] what a premature baby looks like – because we imagine a big deal in our heads, and in the end, they are just babies, tiny, but still babies (Patient no 2)

I believe that people don’t wish for the same things. Presenting a video to someone who doesn’t want to picture their preterm baby, can get their back up (Patient no 8)

Antenatal information

They [pediatric nurses] have a different insight and way of explaining things compared to the pediatrician (Patient no 3)

When in that situation, we wish to talk to people who are facing the same things (Patient no 11)

Postpartum care

I was directly taken to my maternity bedroom, except my baby wasn’t there with me, and I could hear other babies’ cries every night. [It was] very troubling and traumatizing (Patient no 1)