Experiences of expectant first-time fathers attending small group participative childbirth education class

Abstract

Purpose
This paper aims to describe the experiences of the expectant first-time fathers, who attended small group participative childbirth education classes during the process of pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing, and also tries to explore the meaning of the classes to them.
Subject and method
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six expectant first-time fathers, who attended small-group participative childbirth classes. Three interviews with each expectant father were conducted after the classes ended. Qualitative and descriptive analyses based on the phenomenological approach were used for four of six expectant fathers' interviews.
Results
This study found that attending small group participative child birth classes meant to the expectant first-time farthers: (i) restructuring the perception of pregnancy and childbirth within themselves to tackle their own problems, (ii) satisfaction in the process of sharing their experience as a couple, (iii) building confidence in the process of becoming parents, and (iv) understanding the changes of their life after the birth of the children, which they couldn't consider before.
Conclusion
The expectant first-time fathers who attended the childbirth classes shared their anxiety and problems with other participants who were in similar circumstances of impending childbirths. The expectant fathers listened to the experiences of those who already became parents, developed new ideas about pregnancy and childbirth and mentally prepared themselves for the birth. This was a collaborative work of couples that attended the childbirth classes who felt satisfied with the birth experiences. However, it is also concluded that the expectant fathers found themselves unprepared for the postnatal life, although they actively participated to the childbirth education classes.