Author: Bithia O’Brien, Elizabeth Rigg, Karen McLaughlin
Author title:
Bithia O’Brien, Clinical Midwife Consultant & Educator, New South Wales Health, Australia
Elizabeth Rigg, President of Childbirth and Parenting Educators of Australia (CAPEA)
Karen McLaughlin, Post Doctoral Research FellowWestern Sydney University, Australia
Description: Fathers want to participate in antenatal education, yet many feel sidelined or invisible in maternity settings (The Fathering Project, 2023). This paper outlines teaching strategies to promote inclusiveness for fathers in childbirth education, explores barriers, and offers practical activities to create father- friendly classes. Strategies include using inclusive language and resources, recognising fathers as parents with needs rather than merely as ‘support people’, and activities about relationships and parenting expectations that reflect contemporary family life and gender equity, improving outcomes for families and their children (Smith et al., 2024).

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