<p><em>Aim: </em>Compare occurrences of first-time-events reported by mothers and fathers with children at high tech NICU according to kangaroo-mother-care method in two university hospitals.</p><p> </p><p><em>Method: </em>Descriptive, quantitative design. Fourty-five couples of parents, with premature children born and cared for at university hospitals in Uppsala or Örebro, answered questionnaires about first-time-events: interaction-events, measures-of-care-events and sleeping-place-events.</p><p> </p><p><em>Results:</em> All differences regarding the children’s age at first-time-events showed Uppsala-children to be younger than Örebro-children. Interaction-events were reported first in children’s lives, measures-of-care-events and sleeping-place-events later. Children in Uppsala were younger (postnatally) at all three types of first-time-events, and less mature than Örebro-children (lower postmenstrual age), at measures-of-care-events and sleeping-place-events, but not interaction-events. Differences between mothers and fathers appeared regarding interaction and measures-of-care, but not sleeping-place.</p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>Conclusion:</em> Differences in interaction-events parent/child appeared postnatally but not postmenstrually, because postmenstrual age measures in weeks- a measure too rough when interaction was reported to happen during the first hours/days.</p><p> </p><p>Why Uppsala-children were younger than Örebro-children at first-time-events, is probably because Uppsala has a more developed KMC-care than Örebro.</p><p> </p><p>Why Uppsala-children were younger than Örebro-children at first-time-events between father/child, but not mother/child is likely because Uppsala’s KMC-care is more developed and fathers receive more support there than in Örebro.</p>

Aim: Compare occurrences of first-time-events reported by mothers and fathers with children at high tech NICU according to kangaroo-mother-care method in two university hospitals.   Method: Descriptive, quantitative design. Fourty-five couples of parents, with premature children born and cared for at university hospitals in Uppsala or Örebro, answered questionnaires about first-time-events: interaction-events, measures-of-care-events and sleeping-place-events.   Results: All differences regarding the children’s age at first-time-events showed Uppsala-children to be younger than Örebro-children. Interaction-events were reported first in children’s lives, measures-of-care-events and sleeping-place-events later. Children in Uppsala were younger (postnatally) at all three types of first-time-events, and less mature than Örebro-children (lower postmenstrual age), at measures-of-care-events and sleeping-place-events, but not interaction-events. Differences between mothers and fathers appeared regarding interaction and measures-of-care, but not sleeping-place.   Conclusion: Differences in interaction-events parent/child appeared postnatally but not postmenstrually, because postmenstrual age measures in weeks- a measure too rough when interaction was reported to happen during the first hours/days.   Why Uppsala-children were younger than Örebro-children at first-time-events, is probably because Uppsala has a more developed KMC-care than Örebro.   Why Uppsala-children were younger than Örebro-children at first-time-events between father/child, but not mother/child is likely because Uppsala’s KMC-care is more developed and fathers receive more support there than in Örebro.