TITLE:
Exploring the Effect of the Umbilical Cord Cutting Experience on Father’s Emotional Involvement with Their Infants in Oman
AUTHORS:
Fahima Al Harthy, Iman Al Rahbi, Mudhar Al Adawi, Laila Al Wahaibi, Suad Al Rawahi, Farah Al Harthy, Aisha Al Mamari
KEYWORDS:
Bonding, Childbirth, Emotional İnvolvement, Father’s Experience, Umbilical Cord Cutting
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.15 No.8,
August
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Paternal-infant bonding research has been increasingly investigated as it influences mothers’ pregnancy, labour and postpartum period. However, there is lack of research that investigates father-infant bonding in the Gulf peninsula, specifically Oman. Paternal-infant bonding has an important role in promoting cognitive development of infants, stronger parent-children’s relationships and social wellbeing. Aim: This study aims to explore the effect of umbilical cord cutting experience on fathers’ emotional bonding with their infants in Oman. Methods: Mixed method design was utilized to understand the fathers’ experience in cutting the umbilical cord of their newborns. Infant-Mothers bonding scale was used for the quantitative part of this study. The scale is composed by 12 self-report items in a Likert scale from 0 to 3, according to the emotion towards the newborn’s intensity (“very much”, “a lot”, “a little” or “not at all”). Phone call interview was used to elicit the fathers experience and emotional bonding after being involved in cord cutting of their infants for the qualitative part. Results: This study found that fathers experience an encouraging and strong emotional bonding when they are involved in the umbilical cord cutting of their newborn child. Moreover, fathers felt proud and satisfied due to being involved in the process of childbirth. This experience plays a major role in fathers’ emotions as they felt joyful and happy after the umbilical cord cutting. Furthermore, allowing a father to cut his infant umbilical cord can facilitate a fatherly sense of establishment and responsibility in infant care with the mother which can subsequently lead to various benefits such as the infant’s cognitive, social and emotional wellbeing and growth, as well as improving the mother’s emotional status.