Primiparas' prenatal concern for learning infant care

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in pregnant women's desire to learn infant care during the antepartal period. Desire to learn infant care was defined as (a) learning about practical aspects of infant care and (b) expressing the desire to become a caring mother. One hundred eighty-nine primiparous women were interviewed using an open-ended interview schedule. Responses were audiotaped and transcribed prior to data analysis. Each subject's interview transcript was categorized according to content related to desire to learn infant care and converted to a proportion that reflected the amount of desire to learn infant care as compared to the amount of total concern the subject addressed. The proportion scores representing three stages of the antepartal period were compared for statistical differences. Significant differences were found for overall desire to learn infant care and for the desire to learn infant care skills among the three stages of the antepartal period. No significant differences were found for desire to become caring mother. Effects of socioeconomic status, previous early terminated pregnancy, and child care experience were explored.