Antenatal classes and the consumer: mothers' and fathers' views

Abstract

ANTENATAL classes are now a well-established feature of the services offered to mothers in prepara tion for childbirth and parenthood¹. The provision of classes for fathers, other than on a very small scale, is a newer phenomenon: a response, perhaps, to the dramatic increase in the number of fathers attending the birth of their babies in the 1970s². Although there has been a considerable amount of research into the effectiveness of classes for mothers^3,4,5,6, there have been few studies looking at the impact of classes on fathers ⁷, or comparing the experiences of men and women consumers. This study sets out to explore: Patterns of attendance at antenatal classes; mothers' and fathers' evaluation of classes; ways in which attendance may influence parents' perceptions and behaviour at the time of birth.