BACKGROUND: At our institution, the treatment of infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is guided by a function-based assessment called the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) approach. Infants room in with their parent(s) on the inpatient units, and most infants are treated exclusively with nonpharmacologic interventions. The experience of parents of infants with NAS treated with the ESC approach is unknown.

METHODS: We chose a deductive, hypothesis-driven approach to perform a content analysis of transcripts from in-depth, semistructured interviews of parents of infants with NAS in our institution. Responses were audiotaped, transcribed, and reviewed by at least 3 members of the research team.

RESULTS: We interviewed 18 parents of infants with NAS. Most participants were ≥30 years, were white, and had a high school or equivalent level of education. Four major themes emerged: (1) parents were supportive of fewer interventions and normalizing of newborn care in the ESC approach; (2) parents felt encouraged to lead their infant’s NAS care; (3) parents perceived gaps in communication about what to expect in the hospital immediately after delivery and during their infant’s hospital stay; and (4) parents experienced feelings of guilt, fear, and stress and expressed the need for increased support.

CONCLUSIONS: Parents in our study had an overall positive experience with the ESC approach. This engagement probably contributes to the success of the ESC approach in our institution. Future opportunities include better preparation of expectant mothers and continued emotional support after delivery.