Objective:

To understand the meaning of the experiences felt by parents of premature children who are hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in the city of Pasto, Nariño, taking into account the phenomenological theory of Edmund Husserl.

Materials and methods:

In order to understand these experiences, a qualitative phenomenological study was carried out with eight parents in a range of age between 17 and 35.

Results:

The investigative process identified five categories, which emerged from the process of codification or nomothetic analysis of the speeches convergences. Two of these categories were considered for this article: Feelings and affective bond as an expression of parental love and process of interaction with the health staff.

Conclusion:

The parents of children in hospital were not prepared for the birth of a premature baby, so they experienced feelings of sadness, anxiety, self-criticism and fear, altering the affective bond between parents and children.

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