Partners' perspective on care-system support before, during and after childbirth in relation to parenting roles

•Partners reported care situations in which they felt excluded, and uninvolved as parents.•This occurred when care staff paid no attention to them as a parent and afforded no opportunity to talk about their experiences.•Partners wanted greater support from all care systems in their roles as parents and as support for the birth mothers.

ObjectivesTo explore (i) ways in which partners experience support from care systems before, during, and after childbirth in relation to their parenting roles and (ii) ways in which support can improve.MethodsFour focus group interviews (n = 17; median age = 35; age range = 24–46) and inductive content analysis.ResultsAnalysis revealed the following three categories: (1) Care staff include or exclude in relation to partners' parenting role; (2) Care systems continuity; (3) Being a supportive partner. The latent content of the categories was formulated into a theme: being engaged and wanting to be included.ConclusionsBecause partners are engaged parents, who support the woman giving birth, they must feel included during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care and during encounters within child health care units. This would require (i) information that directly targets partners before and after childbirth, (ii) specially adapted venues for parent education, and (iii) personal, partner-focused discussions with care staff.