First Time Mothers' Experiences of Prenatal Education and Support

Abstract

Traditionally, mothers in Nova Scotia have sought out prenatal education through in- person formats. Recently, however, more online resources have become available, for example, in 2014, a free prenatal education website was introduced by Public Health to replace in-person classes. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore mothers’ experiences of prenatal information and support in Nova Scotia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight first-time mothers. Feminist poststructuralism and discourse analysis were used to analyze how women’s experiences were socially and institutionally constructed. Results revealed that pregnancy was a significant moment in time for all participants, yet becoming a mother encompassed more than the information they received. The findings of the study suggest that nurses, researchers, and policy makers may have to reconsider the structure of maternity programs to reflect the notion that women’s transition of ‘becoming a mother’ is a process, beginning in pregnancy and continuing into the postpartum period.