Objective: to describe first-time-expectant fathers’ experiences of pregnancy.

Design: an inductive method using narrative interview formand qualitative content textanalysis.The text of the transcriptswas coded and categorised.

Settings and participants: seven first-time-expectant fathers living in a multicultural industrial town in southern Sweden were interviewed individually when their partner was in the 38th to 39thweek of pregnancy.

Measurements and findings: all the fathers-to-be experienced some psychological, socialand/or physical change during the pregnancy. The main category, was ‘time of transition’. Eight categories were found under this. They were: ‘feelings of unreality, ‘insufficiency and inadequacy’, ‘exclusion’, ‘reality’, ‘social changes’, ‘physical changes’, ‘responsibility, and development’.

Key conclusion: the fathers’-to-be special needs for support and encouragement durin gpregnancymay be as important as those of the mothers’-to-be. The caregiver needs to be as aware of and sensitive to these needs. However, before any interventions can be recommendedmore research is needed.