Vision

To enlist all expectant parents, both fathers and mothers, in The Bahamas in childbirth and parenting classes.

Mission

To educate all prospective mothers and fathers, as well as parents in general, about pregnancy, labour and delivery, and how to care for themselves and their children, so as to improve the health and well being of all children and parents in The Bahamas.  

Overview

Parentcraft classes, formerly called “Mothercraft Classes” were introduced into Community Health Services in New Providence in the mid 1960’s, while Mrs. Dorothy Phillips was the Nursing Officer in charge of Community Health Nursing. The classes were offered at the major health clinics operating at that time: Bilney Lane, Baillou Hill Road and the Coconut Grove Clinics. By the end of the 1990’s, other than the Adolescent Health Centre and the P.A.C.E. Programme (Providing Access to Continued Education), the only community clinic providing the service was the Baillou Hill Road Clinic. The clinic offered classes on a weekly basis.

The idea of providing training for parents came about because of the large number of cases reported to the Child Welfare Division of the Department of Social Services. These cases included child neglect, abandonment, abuse (physical, sexual and emotional) and parent-child relational conflicts, as well as incidences where young children were being brought before the Juvenile Panel of the court. The Child Welfare Division found that these problems were directly related to the level of parenting skills of those concerned.

The Department of Social Services began parenting training for Social Workers in 1993, so that they could teach their clients parenting skills. Other relevant government agencies were also involved. A Caribbean programme, Pathways to Parenting, produced by Parenting Partners, Jamaica, was used as a model, as it was felt to be more culturally suited for The Bahamas.

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing & Social Development, the National Child Abuse Prevention Committee was established in 1999. A sub-committee on parenting was formed in an attempt to strengthen parenting skills, among residents. This group was authorised to establish the National Parenting Service. A representative from Maternal & Child Health attended a National Seminar on “Parenting for Parents” on 26 April 2001, organised by this committee. The committee has also developed a document on the proposed National Parenting Service.

Further, a Technical Advisory Committee made up of individuals from various disciplines was established. The purpose of the committee was to set direction for the revision of the then present Parentcraft Programme and the development of a comprehensive parentcraft programme.

To inform the development of a comprehensive parentcraft programme, a survey was conducted during June/July 2001, among 308 antenatal clients – 265 clients with no parentcraft education, 43 clients who had some parentcraft education and 20 Nurse/Midwives who provided the service at the 6 major New Providence Clinics, where the survey was conducted.

A Parentcraft Lesson Development Workshop was held for Members of the Technical Advisory Committee, as well as 3 Health Visitors and a Nursing Officer from Lactation Management on November 8, 2002. The purpose of the workshop was to develop draft lesson plans for the Parentcraft Education module.

Refining and editing of the initial draft lessons was carried out by the Health Education Officer, Mr. Kevon Lightbourne and Parentcraft Education Project Co-ordinator, Mrs. Angela Archer. The lesson plans were further reviewed by Mrs. Hilda Douglas, Lecturer at the School of Nursing, College of The Bahamas.

A pilot of the lessons was carried out at the South Beach Health Centre April 15, 2003 to June 3, 2003.

The Parentcraft Education Project is a standard programme within the Ministry of Health – so it is ongoing.
The expected outcomes of the Project are:

• The majority of antenatal clients and their spouses or partners will participate in the programme. At least 50% of antenatal mothers will register in the programme. At least 25% of participants in all parenting classes will be male. (Commonwealth of the Bahamas National Health Services Strategic Plan 2000-2004).
• Clients will assist in the advancement of the programme by participating and making suggestion regarding areas where changes could be made to better meet their needs and those of fellow participants.
• Parentcraft support groups will be established out of the Parentcraft Education Project, where parents can be further assisted with their childcare and child rearing needs.
• At least 75% of post-partum women will attend postnatal clinic (Commonwealth of the Bahamas National Health Services Strategic Plan 2000-2004).
• At least 75% of routine well-baby clinic appointments for newborns and infants are kept.
• To establish a training programme for providers, so that 50% of all practicing primary care nurse/midwives are adequately trained to provide the programme to clients.
• To involve staff in the process of programme development, so that they might become more committed to the programme.
• Follow-up system for Programme defaulters established.
• To increase the knowledge of mothers regarding their own health and that of their infants via health education and health promotion strategies.
• To determine the adequacy of present facilities at the clinics to accommodate facilitators and clients so that teaching and learning is not hindered.
• To ascertain times that are convenient for most clients to attend classes.
• To determine topics which clients feel are most beneficial to them.
• To identify topics which midwives feel can benefit clients most.
• To ascertain the prevalence of non-English speaking clients, particularly Haitian Nationals, who are interested in the programme, so those language barriers can be addressed.

Parentcraft aims to help families experience happy and safe pregnancies, and make life adjustments to meet the needs of parenting. This is achieved primarily through education.

Through education, Parentcraft aims to help clients receive a basic understanding of reproduction, foetal development and caring for themselves during pregnancy, the positive and negative antenatal influences on pregnancy and possible outcomes. Clients are taught relaxation/breathing techniques for labour and delivery that can help reduce the need for medication and medical interventions. In addition, by having a basic knowledge of growth and development of children, and learning how to provide physical care, clients are better able to adjust to parenthood. Parentcraft education also encourages family togetherness and provides basic knowledge for future health and well-being.

The topics covered in the classes are vital to understanding the process of pregnancy, labour, delivery, caring for mother and baby after delivery and subsequently caring for the child through the early stages of life. The information is presented in a very creative and exciting manner. The topics are covered in 8 lessons. One lesson is presented each week over 8 consecutive weeks. During each class there is a time for information sharing and a question and answer session. Light refreshments are also provided and time is allotted for craft and exercises.

• The classes are provided to clients without a fee.
• Each course consists of 8 classes. Classes will be offered once weekly.
• Ongoing evaluation and final assessment at the end of each course are carried out.
• At the end of each 8 week course, a certificate of attendance is given to clients who attend a minimum of 6 classes.

The topics covered include:

1. The Importance of Antenatal Care/Sexually Transmitted Infections

2. Body Changes during Pregnancy
Childbirth Exercises – Comfort Measures/Crafts

3 Nutrition and Healthy Pregnancy Behaviours
Childbirth Exercises: Body Building Exercises/Crafts

4. Infant Care and Nutrition
Childbirth Exercises: Relaxation and Introduction to 1st Level Breathing/Crafts

5. Labour and Childbirth/Tour of Maternity Ward
Childbirth Exercises: Review Relaxation and 1st Level Breathing
Introduction to 2nd Level Breathing/Crafts

6. Postnatal Care and Family Planning
Childbirth Exercises: Review Relaxation and 1st and 2nd Level Breathing
Introduction to 3rd Level Breathing/Crafts

7. Child Development (Infancy up to Adolescence)
Childbirth Exercises: Review Relaxation and Breathing Exercises/Craft
The final session includes an Evaluation of the course by participants, the Presentation of Certificates and a social.

Childbirth education dates back to the 1940’s and 1950’s. It is believed to have originated in Russia where the method used by Russian women was called “psychoprophylaxis” (psycho meaning the mind and prophylactic meaning prevention). Doctors Grantly Dick-Read (author of Childbirth Without Fear) and Ferdinand Lamaze (author of Painless Childbirth) each modified the method and included some infant education. Through education and techniques including relaxation, massage, focusing and breathing, it was sought to prevent the mind from dwelling on the force of the contractions. This would result in a more calm and relaxed labouring woman. Indeed, studies have shown that relaxation results in shorter and less painful labours.

These methods teach that pregnancy and childbirth are natural. Therefore, by educating expectant mothers and fathers about the process as well as possible complications and available choices, they are better able to participate in the whole process and make informed decisions.

Several methods of childbirth education have developed over the years. Lamaze is the most popular of all childbirth education methods. Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators teach more than 150,000 classes per year with two million attendees (PARENTSPLACE.com – Pregnancy the Lamaze Method by Lisa Schulman).

Class Modules:

Introduction

Importance of Antenatal Care

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Body Changes During Pregnancy

Nutrition in Pregnancy

Healthy Behaviours

Infant Nutrition

Care of Infant

Labour and Childbirth

Postnatal Period and Family Planning

Child Development

For more information, please contact:

Department of Public Health
Poncianna Hill Building
Meeting Street
P. O. Box N-3730
Nassau, N.P.
The Bahamas
Tel. (242) 502-4782
Fax.(242) 502-4874
Opening hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays