Challenges and benefits of conducting parental classes in Sweden: Midwives' perspectives

•Midwives perceived that creating new networks for parents was one of the major values of antenatal parental classes.•Despite their efforts, the midwives appeared to lack confidence and skills to manage groups and promote social interaction.•Midwives recognised that it was not possible to reach all expectant parents.•To improve services, midwives need organisational support, as, training in group dynamics and involving other professionals.•Midwives need to use teaching techniques that foster parents' ability to learn and acknowledge the needs of minority groups.

ObjectiveThere is lack of knowledge regarding antenatal care midwives' perspectives concerning parental classes provided during pregnancy, and this study aimed to explore midwives' experiences and thoughts about these parental class activities.MethodsTwenty-six semi-structured, individual, telephone interviews were carried out with midwives at antenatal clinics across Sweden, and the data were analysed using systematic text condensation (STC).ResultsThe midwives noted that parental classes were a demanding task, and they appeared to lack the confidence and skills required to manage the classes. They expressed a “need for collaborators to achieve the objectives” (theme 1). The midwives felt that “creating new networks is most valuable for parents” (theme 2), and they were also “striving to give the ‘whole picture’ to both parents” (theme 3), i.e. looking beyond just the delivery. Although they had the ambition, midwives realised it was “not possible to reach all” (theme 4).ConclusionsOrganisational resources as well as developing skills to lead groups are imperative for midwives to fulfil the goals of the parental classes. The midwives are aware that they cannot reach all parents with the group format; thus, it is important to acknowledge the needs of minority populations and develop multidisciplinary collaborations to be able to better address their needs.