Twenty-four expectant parents have signed up for the University of Calgary–Qatar’s first ever prenatal classes. The idea of offering information and support to expecting parents came from Behi Nikaiin, a nursing instructor.
“In the past couple of years that I have been in Qatar, I often noticed that many mothers and their families go through pregnancy, labour, delivery and postpartum without knowing what to expect in these stages. This usually causes them to panic, to not be able to make informed choice decisions, feel lost and incapable. This fact was also observed by my students and was brought up as a gap in the healthcare system,” explains Nikaiin.
Christine Ou, another UCQ nursing instructor, is assisting with the classes. “Qatar’s National Health Strategy calls for the enhancement of prenatal care services. Childbirth education is an important step in the right direction of optimising prenatal care services.”
Carolana Almont and her husband Andy decided to take the class because their baby is due in three weeks. “My husband and I are very Google-oriented. But like the instructor says, there is only so much you can believe on the internet. So, it’s nice to collaborate with others and see if there is something new to learn and getting information from professional healthcare givers, of course.”
UCQ nursing students are involved in the classes in a supportive role. Nikaiin says the students’ involvement serves a dual purpose. “They helped us recruit the participants, arrange the classes and also run the classes. They are present during the classes and learn first-hand how to communicate with the families in this stage and what information is important to be communicated to them. This is a tremendous opportunity for our students. It also will encourage them to work in this field in the future. Just the Women’s Hospital has about 16,000 births a year and the rates are increasing rapidly. There is always a shortage of healthcare professionals in this field; preparing nursing students, who have gained some valuable experience in this field, will eventually help Qatar’s healthcare system to recruit well-equipped nurses in this field.”
Almont, who heard about the classes through a friend, says they have been very beneficial. “I’ve had a pretty easy-going pregnancy. But it’s good to hear the other women talk about the things they are going through. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.”
The classes are being run in both English and Arabic. Each session will run for seven weeks. They are free of charge.
The Peninsula
