Adjustment to New Parenthood: Attenders versus Nonattenders at Prenatal Education Classes

Abstract

This longitudinal descriptive study compared the adjustment to new parenthood in two groups of first-time mothers and fathers. Participants included 106 married couples, 58 (55%) who attended prenatal childbirth education classes and 48 (45%) who did not. The study variables included prenatal, intrapartal, and new parent experiences. All mothers and fathers completed questionnaires during the last trimester of pregnancy and one month after delivery of a healthy newborn. Fathers were present during labor and birth regardless of prenatal class attendance. The groups differed in maternal age and in maternal andpaternal education levels, but did not direr in measures ofprenatal attachment, paternal childbirth involvement, childbirth satisfaction, parenting sense of competence, and ease of transition to parenthood. The results suggest the need for further study of the influence of prenatal classes on becoming a new parent, and of the effects of the father S presence during childbirth on birth and new parent experiences. (BIRTH 22:1, March 1995)Adjustment to parenthood is a time of stress for firsttime parents, and attendance at prenatal childbirth education classes is believed to prepare them for this transition. It has been estimated, however, that approximately 50 percent of expectant couples do not attend prenatal classes, and those from lower socioeconomic groups are less likely to attend than middle-and upperincome couples (1-6). Despite the importance attached to prenatal classes, few studies have compared attenders with nonattenders to examine the psychosocial variables related to prenatal, intrapartal, and new parent factors reported to affect adjustment (3). Couples choose to attend childbirth education classes for many reasons (24,7), and although some explanations relate

Childbirth Education and Obstetric Interventions Among Low-Risk Canadian Women: Is There a Connection?

“…This finding suggests that women in this study may have been encouraged by all care providers to attend childbirth education classes or may have regarded content from classes as an important supplement to information provided by their care providers. attend childbirth education classes (Bennett et al, 1985;Lumley & Brown, 1993;Nichols, 1995;Sturrock & Johnson, 1990). However, the findings stand in contrast to those of a national survey of Canadian women that found highest participation rates among young women aged 15-19 years old .…”

The Concerns and Interests of Expectant and New Parents: Assessing Learning Needs

“…Although the parenting component has been strengthened more recently, the results of the current needs assessment suggest that further changes are required. This finding has also been identified in other research (Barclay, Everitt, Rogan, Schmied, & Wyllie, 1997;Nichols, 1995;Schneider, 2001). Women and men in the present study were able to articulate the content and process of the antenatal education they preferred.…”

Maternal attachment, depression, and body dissatisfaction in pregnant women

“…Pregnant women who responded to community advertisements were mailed the cover letter and questionnaire along with a pre-addressed envelope. There were no significant differences in demographic variables, maternal attachment, depression, or BD between recruitment methods (all ps.0.10), consistent with previous research finding no differences in maternal attachment between women who attended prenatal classes and those who did not (Nichols, 1995).…”