abstract
- A capacity building program for professionals in maternal and child health care in St Petersburg, Russian Federation, commenced in 1994. The program was designed to provide 12 workshops in evidence-based antenatal and intrapartum care, as well as appropriate preparation of parents for pregnancy, birth and parenthood, for health care professionals in the city. As part of this program women's observations on the quality of their maternity care services during their transition to parenthood were explored. These reports reflect maternity care practices in the former Soviet Union.