Background: Almost every 20th child is borne premature in Sweden, before the parents are ready to care for a new family member. The parents need to cope with the stress and anxiety of having their newborn child in the neonatal ward and influenced by nursing care of neonatal staff grow their parental role.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to illustrate experiences of parenthood within the care of premature at the neonatal ward.

Method: A review where 18 articles between 2000 and 2005 were chosen and examined. The articles were analysed according to VIPS, which facilitates the practical use of the result.

Result: The study reveals that parenthood is experienced as a time dependent process with three phases, primary, secondary and tertiary, where the parent’s needs and experiences changed character. The parents experienced that they developed from passive to active in the care of the premature child when the neonatal staff guided their participation, gave information/education and support. Interventions concerned the environment and coordination was experienced as enhancing parenthood because it made it possible for the parents to be close to their premature child.

Conclusion: There’s still interventions that needs to be done at the neonatal ward to enhance parents experience of their parenthood.