Views of expectant mothers about sources of knowledge and skills related to motherhood

Abstract

When expectant mothers prepare for motherhood, this has a positive impact on their own lives and in terms of their children. The preparations in the process of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and baby care made by a mother-to-be who is becoming a parent for the first time also have an impact on preventing the prevalence of non-functional beliefs and practices. The purpose of this study is to determine the views of first-time expectant mothers regarding the available resources of knowledge and skills related to motherhood. The study was conducted with 16 volunteer mothers-to-be registered at the Mother and Child Health Center in the Altı Eyl(l District of the province of Balıkesir, Turkey. Semi- tructured interviews were held with the prospective mothers. The data were analyzed with content analysis. The prospective mothers stated that their sources of knowledge and skills related to motherhood were their own mothers and that they were not following up on any website, blog, book or magazine for this kind of information. While all of the mothers-to-be said that they would participate in an educational program on pregnancy if one were available, none of them had ever attended a pregnancy education program. In this context, when it is considered that the mothers-to-be participating in the study were in the first years of their marriages, it might be recommended that prospective mothers be provided with parent education together with their husbands, regardless of their educational background