Participation of father in perinatal care: a qualitative study from the perspective of mothers, fathers, caregivers, managers and policymakers in Iran

BACKGROUND: The participation of the father during the perinatal period is an important strategy for improving the mother’s health. Very few studies exist about the father’s role in promoting the health of the mother in Iran; thus, the present study was conducted to examine the role of fathers in perinatal care. METHODS: The present study was a qualitative research. Participants were selected using purposeful sampling with maximum variation and the data was collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and field notes. The data was analyzed using conventional content analysis. RESULTS: After data analysis, the main categories extracted were: “help in maintaining the health of the mother and fetus”, “emotional support of mother”, “comprehensive participation of father in married life”, “preparing for safe delivery” and “postpartum support”. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study provide different perspectives on the participation of fathers when designing culture-based intervention for their participation in perinatal care. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12884-018-1928-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.