Needs of Black African Expectant Fathers in Caring for Pregnant Partners: A Narrative Inquiry in Sedibeng Health District, South Africa

Abstract

<ns7:p>Background Pregnancy is a disembodied experience for men in any culture. In South Africa, more than three decades ago, social changes advocating gender equality in homes, communities, and society began. It is estimated that more than 75% of perinatal deaths occurred amongst Black African women. To investigate the possibilities of social change, this narrative inquiry sought to explore and describe the knowledge base of Black African males about pregnancy to assess their needs for caring for their pregnant partners. Methods Face-to-face in-depth narrative interviews were conducted with three Black African males in their natural settings and the interviews were audio-recorded on a digital voice recorder. In this study, the question was, what were the needs of Black African fathers in caring for their pregnant partners? The study followed an adaptation of Creswell’s (2009) model of thematic analysis. To enhance the trustworthiness or rigour of the results, the model of Guba and Lincoln (1985, cited in Polit &amp; Beck, 2010) was adapted to include the narrative requirement for authenticity. Results Five major themes emerged as part of a broader doctoral study programme. Specifically, storytellers disclosed their level of knowledge about pregnancy; storytellers described the different ways of seeking information on technological platforms about pregnancy; storytellers expressed a need for an educational programme and their commitment to such a programme; storytellers described the different delivery platforms for the programme; and storytellers described the role of the Department of Health and other stakeholders. Conclusions Black African males need sufficient knowledge to ensure they provide the necessary care and support for their partners during pregnancy. The gravity of the need is illustrated by identifying what needs to be learned to enable storytellers to provide practical support to their pregnant partners and encourage them to engage fully with the pregnancy journey.</ns7:p>