ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Mary Nolan argues that education for birth and early parenting needs to be viewed as an important primary prevention measure that aligns with the sustainability agenda. Well-designed programmes of education delivered during pregnancy have the potential to increase the ability of parents-to-be to look after themselves, to form positive relationships upon which good mental health relies and to provide for their young children models of sensitive parenting that will become the template for their own parenting in the next generation. The antenatal educator with a focus on sustainability would promote healthy parent–child relationships and secure attachment in babies, increase parents’ confidence in their own problem-solving, and build a support network amongst the individuals enrolled in the programme to reduce their isolation following the birth of their babies.
