Lead: Dr Sara Borrelli

Co-Investigators: Helen Spiby, Corine Verhoeven, Antonella Nespoli, Simona Fumagalli, Ruth Wong, India Prout, Ruth Terry, Maria Panzeri, Marieke Mink, Suzanne Sturkenboom

We have conducted a scoping review on information available online about antenatal education classes in three European countries (England, the Netherlands, Italy), in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Milano Bicocca and Amsterdam University Medical Centers.

Structured antenatal education programmes are recognised as having the potential to prevent fear of birth, reduce the woman’s concerns and anxiety during pregnancy, influence positively childbirth expectations and experiences and improve maternal emotional wellbeing postnatally. During the pandemic, classes were either paused or became virtual. As the pandemic restrictions relaxed, re-introducing in person sessions was recommended in the three countries, acknowledging that some parents may still prefer to attend virtual classes and advising that these should be maintained as per local demand. Provision varies widely and not all women are offered an invitation or attend sessions. There is no contemporary mapping of the current offer for antenatal education in terms of provision, content and organisation.

Our search was conducted using maternity services webpages and relevant websites reporting private antenatal education provision in England, The Netherlands and Italy. We explored access, target population, content and organisation of antenatal classes advertised via online sites to women and families. We are currently writing the findings, which will be submitted for publication.