It is the wish of every mother expecting a child to walk out of the hospital ward with a healthy baby. But for families with premature babies, the sharp beeping of monitors and hum of incubators quickly replace the joy and celebration usually associated with childbirth.
Premature birth (delivery before 37 weeks) is a leading cause of newborn complications and deaths worldwide.
In Kenya, many babies are born each year prematurely and require long periods of specialised care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where incubators and monitors replace the expected joy of childbirth.
While medical attention is often centred on the baby's survival, parents also face a major but less visible struggle: the mental and emotional toll that comes with the experience, which often begins suddenly and without preparation.
Many mothers experience emergency deliveries and immediate separation from their newborns, often seeing them first through incubators connected to tubes and oxygen machines.
Health experts, including Dr Ann Githinji of Malkia Hospital, Nairobi, say parents frequently feel fear, helplessness, shock, guilt, and emotional exhaustion as they adjust to an unexpected and stressful birth experience.
Psychologists add that anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, and ongoing worry are common, especially during long NICU stays where daily progress is uncertain and even small improvements become major milestones. Parents often find themselves constantly monitoring medical updates, living from one to the next, creating a cycle of emotional exhaustion.
The stress is intensified by medical risks such as infections, breathing difficulties, and developmental complications, which can continue to worry parents even after discharge.
Some families also struggle with uncertainty about long-term outcomes, especially when follow-up care is required, therapy is needed, or developmental delays appear later.
Financial pressure adds further strain, as neonatal care is expensive and can lead families into debt, forcing some to rely on fundraising, borrowing, or community support.
This, combined with frequent hospital visits, transport challenges, and work responsibilities, can also strain relationships, with fathers often carrying financial pressure while trying to remain emotionally strong, while mothers cope with recovery and constant emotional distress.
Despite this burden, mental health support in many NICUs remains limited, with most care focused on the baby's physical health. Experts argue that psychological support for parents should be part of routine neonatal care, including counselling and structured emotional support systems.
One widely recommended practice is Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), which involves skin-to-skin contact between parent and baby.
Dr Githinji says it helps regulate the baby's heartbeat, breathing, and temperature, improves feeding and weight gain, and strengthens bonding, while also reducing parental stress and anxiety by creating a sense of connection and control.
However, stigma and misinformation still affect many families, with some mothers unfairly blamed for premature birth despite it often being caused by medical factors beyond their control, such as infections, hypertension, multiple pregnancies, or pregnancy complications.
In some communities, this blame worsens emotional isolation and prevents open discussion about mental health struggles. Experts emphasise that premature birth is a medical condition, not a result of parental fault or lifestyle choices.
As Mental Health Awareness Month highlights emotional well-being, specialists stress that families of premature babies are often overlooked, even though they carry intense fear, uncertainty, and exhaustion while caring for fragile newborns.