Antenatal education and the birthing experience of Brazilian women: a qualitative study.

Background: Information is still scarce on the birthing experience of women who participate in antenatal systematic education programs. The objective of the study was to report the experience of labor as described by nulliparous women who participated and who did not in a systematic Birth Preparation Program (BPP).

Method: A qualitative study was conducted with eleven women who participated in a BPP and ten women attending routine prenatal care selected through purposeful sampling.