Purpose: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the difficulties experienced by fathers upon the premature birth of their first child, as well as their resilience, based on their narratives. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine fathers whose first child was born prematurely. Each father was given the opportunity to talk freely about the difficulties he had experienced when his child was born and how he overcame them. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Results: Upon the premature birth of their first child, the fathers experienced the following difficulties: unrealistic feelings of having met an alien from another planet, a feeling of being compelled to be constantly busy, a constant fear of facing obstacles associated with the situation and a fear of death, a conflict with morality and ethics, and an uncomfortable feeling of being in a place where they could not fit in. The fathers expressed the following ideas, which were examples of resilience during the recovery process: trust in the strength of their child and the people around them and leaving things to them (omit?), thinking positively about things and assigning significance to the birth of their child, looking at the situation from a wider perspective, and maintaining a moderate psychological distance. Conclusion: The interviews showed that the fathers almost did not believe that their child had been born prematurely and therefore, could not accept the reality of their experience. However, they trusted the strength of their children, their wives, and the healthcare professionals, and supported their families by looking for opportunities to become involved. It is important that healthcare professionals acknowledge the experience of fathers whose children are born prematurely, provide support to help them assign subjective significance to the birth of their child, and help them to find their strength
