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M.Cur. / This dissertation studies the labour experiences of parents who received childbirth preparation. At the moment, the extended family is no longer prevalent, and the teachings mothers passed to daughters has decreased dramatically. As more medical interventions alter the labour process, couples need to be more aware of what to expect. The trend for first time parents is to attend some kind of formal antenatal preparation. How relevant is this preparation? A qualitative study design was utilised to allow for exploration and description of the experience of labour. An audio recording was done as well as the subjects filling in a questionnaire. A pilot study with one couple was completed initially. Mothers in the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg were studied. They had given birth in private clinics in the area. The interviews were unstructured and conducted in English. The data once collected, was transcribed and analysed using cross case data analysis and classification according to common themes. Nursing for the Whole Person Theory was used as the paradigm and guide for analysis. The results are compared with the relevant literature which is presented in The results are displayed in various forms in the study and show a positive experience in women and men who attended antenatal preparation. Recommendations are made for the medical profession and presented in with the conclusions.

M.Cur. / The standard of care in midwifery services improves all the time. Because of this reason mothers are experiencing more of midwifery services and also of antenatal preparation services. This can be seen in the increasing demand for active birth, plychoprophlaxis and preparation for delivery. The higher the standard of antenatal preparation, the more positive the influence on the birthing process. Because of the isolation of the nuclear family from the traditional family and its recourcee, more pressure is put on professional people and other recources for formal antenatal preparation programs. Standards are therefore essential for effective antenatal preparation to ensure optimal care.

Stress reduction techniques have been used to assist people in coping with stressful medical procedures and events. Labor and delivery training classes have utilized techniques to assist women with the childbirth process. The classes generally included basic education of labor and delivery, respiration behavior, relaxation of muscles, and participation of a coach. Reducing the amount of pain experienced in labor and delivery has been suggested for facilitating the process and decreasing the amount of medication received. The painful experience changed from an uncontrollable situation into a positive one, allowing women to feel more resourceful, less anxious, and less threatened.

M.Cur. (Advanced Midwifery and Neonatal Nursing Science) / The aim of this study was to explore and describe antenatal education needs of low-risk pregnant clients receiving basic antenatal care in the public health setting, in a health care facility in Tshwane. Very little antenatal education is being given to pregnant clients receiving basic antenatal care in the public health setting, in contrast to antenatal education provided to women who make use of private health care facilities during their pregnancy and attend private antenatal classes. The need for antenatal education of clients receiving care in the public health setting may well be intensified due to the often marginalised circumstances from which these clients originate and a lack of informal learning opportunities on childbirth, coupled with the possibly aggravating influence of cultural practices which may be harmful to both mother and child. Not having access to this education may negatively affect the pregnancy, birth, and postnatal period. The lack of antenatal education often causes woman to unnecessarily seek medical help at already overloaded clinics, which could be prevented if the women received proper antenatal education. The opposite is also true: many women do not seek medical help in time because of a lack of antenatal education. Through a qualitative study, antenatal educational needs of clients receiving basic antenatal care in a community health setting in Tshwane within the public health setting, were explored and described. The specific needs which should be addressed were identified by the clients through individual interviews, as well as by the health care workers caring for them, through focus group interviews. Both the interviews and focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed using Tesch’s steps to qualitative data analysis. An independent coder was used to ensure trustworthiness. This analysed data was compared to the relevant available literature and was found to be corresponding. The identified needs were then utilised to make recommendations for midwifery practice to meet the antenatal educational needs, including a proposed programme to be presented in the public health setting in Tshwane to clients receiving basic antenatal care. The programme suggests three education classes which can be presented, addressing all the needs identified through the study. Recommendations for midwifery education and further research were additionally presented.

Prenatal education is an integrative part of prenatal care. Prenatal education content and teaching methods used in prenatal classes needs to be disclosed in a comprehensive format. The purpose of this integrative research review is to describe the state of the science in prenatal education from journals dated 1990-2000, including (1) description of the prenatal education content and (2) description of the teaching methodologies. A computer search using key terms related to prenatal education was conducted. Twelve journal articles, ten of which were quantitative research studies and two qualitative studies are reviewed and synthesized. Content and teaching methodologies used in childbirth classes, prenatal classes or antenatal classes, and family training classes are the elements included in this study. Similarities and differences among studies are discussed. Results of this review indicated that prenatal education content was very similar among studies and that prenatal class' curriculum should offer a balance between topics regarding parenting skills and topics concerning pregnancy and childbirth preparation. The teaching methods most frequently identified were class and group discussions. Findings show that teaching methodologies should be selected in relation to participants' age, education level, childbirth knowledge and parenting experience. Certified childbirth educators, nurses, and nurse midwives are considered important experts in prenatal education.

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The problem of the study was to develop valid and reliable evaluation tools for the American Red Cross course "Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby." From a table of specification, a pool of 87 items was developed into two evaluation scales. A thirteen-member jury of experts composed of professionals in prenatal education was used to establish content validity. The jury of experts reviewed the scales twice. The first review, items were subject to both a quantitative and qualitative review. Items were then retained, revised, or eliminated. The jury of experts then reviewed the scales a second time, and items again were subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis. The second review included the use of the Content-Validity Ratio. All items in the scales that were not statistically significant at p<. 05 were eliminated. The validated evaluation scales made up of 46 items from the 87 originally proposed items were then pilot tested. Fifty-two women were then asked to complete the two evaluation scales one week apart. Upon completion of the pilot study, items were subjected to statistical analysis using test-retest, Cronbach's alpha, and internal constancy. Those items with a low test-test scores and/or internal constancy were then eliminated. The retained knowledge questions were then revised as the questions were subjected to quantitative analysis. / Department of Physiology and Health Science