Abstract
Primary health care provides high-quality antenatal care at no cost. However, antenatal clients book late, which contributes to poor perinatal outcomes.
This study aimed to explore and describe the practices and cultural beliefs of pregnant women regarding early antenatal booking at selected Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual design was adopted to examine and describe pregnant women ’s practices and beliefs regarding early antenatal booking. Purposive sampling was used to select participants for in-depth, unstructured interviews in designated facilities. Colaizzi’s method of data analysis was used for systematic coding and the development of meaningful themes, facilitating the interpretation of results.
The five themes emerging from the study were 1) non-compliance after pregnancy confirmation, 2) unplanned pregnancy, 3) spiritual beliefs, 4) traditional beliefs, and 5) social beliefs. The study showed that clients delay antenatal booking until after 12 weeks, even after clinical tests and signs confirm pregnancy. Some antenatal clients do not plan for their pregnancy; hence, they tend to regret it and delay reporting to the antenatal clinic due to fear of ridicule and humiliation.
Midwives can prevent cultural beliefs and practices from interfering with early prenatal care by gaining an understanding of these diverse cultures. Prevention measures include identifying safe cultural practices, instructing expectant mothers about safe prenatal care and emphasizing the importance of early registration. Midwives need to incorporate knowledge of diverse cultures into their nursing practice to increase early antenatal booking among expectant mothers.