Postpartum period is a time of transition, of adjustments to the parental role. This transition calls for changes in role relationships, especially in the first- time parents.

Identify difficulties and needs of the first time parents related to the interaction with the newborn and to the adjustment to the parental role.

Qualitative study using the descriptive phenomenological approach. Inform consent was obtained during the hospitalization after childbirth. Saturation of data was obtained with a group of 25 first-time fathers, using unstructured interviews in the parent’s home place.

Two essentials structures emerged from the meaning units of the experiences of the first-time parents adjustment to the postpartum, the first described a positive experience and the second one a negative experience. From the positive key constituents we highlighted: getting to know the baby; the sense of responsibility to the parental role; the sense of family; the greater cooperation and union of the couple. As negative key constituents: insecurity in baby care; experiencing parenthood with emotional vulnerability that is labelled as a period of lack of time to take care of oneself; less time for the couple and less social activity.

This phenomenological study provides a deep understanding of the needs of first-time parents with the essentials structures of the process of paternal adjustment in the period of the post-partum, and generates implications to improve it, specially the postpartum home visit, support groups in the Health Centres, and a maternity postpartum phone line as suggested by the participants.