Childbirth education classes: expectant parents' expectations

One hundred clients (43 fathers, 57 mothers), of whom 50 had enrolled in childbirth education classes but had not yet attended and 50 who had attended and were parents of a healthy infant, were surveyed to find out what clients expect to gain from attending childbirth education classes. Responses of preclass and postdelivery male and female clients were compared using content analysis and chi-square statistics. Results suggest that interest followed pregnancy chronology, fathers expected to learn facts, mothers expected to learn coping strategies, and both expected to learn breathing, relaxation, and infant care techniques. Although clients felt that more time should have been spent on the majority of topics, 64% of mothers and 53% of fathers said that the classes had met their expectations.