The child's father, an important person for the mother's well-being during the childbirth: a hermeneutic study.

We describe Swedish mothers' experiences of having the child's father present during childbirth. A hermeneutic approach was used to collect data in various districts in southwestern Sweden. Analysis of the data acquired from 67 first-time mothers revealed one main category--the child's father becomes an important person for the mother's well-being during the childbirth. Five subcategories were also identified. While the findings refer to the experiences of Swedish women, in today's multicultural societies the findings may be relevant to health care professionals and women from other cultures. The father's role during childbirth is also described in detail.