Participation experiences of immigrant women in childbirth and parenting preparation programs

The purpose of this study was conducted to provide an in-depth analysis of immigrant women's perceived experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting preparation while participating in a hospital-based childbirth and parenting preparation program to inform the development of a program tailored to immigrant women. For this purpose, visual materials were collected before, during, and after program participation with 12 immigrant women who attended childbirth and parenting preparation programs, and a total of four focus group interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis yielded five main categories and 14 subcategories. The main categories included ‘the joy of pregnancy and childbirth’, ‘coexisting anxiety about childbirth and parenting’, ‘preparing for motherhood while participating in education’, ‘positive changes and resources gained through Education’, and ‘heart for the future of children’. Based on these findings, implications are presented for effective practices to support immigrant women in preparing for pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.