Introduction:
The aim of this study is to explore the effect of antenatal education on fathers’ attitudes toward: (i) breastfeeding and (ii) attachment to the fetus. A secondary aim is to explore the relationship of fathers’ demographic and the psycho-emotional characteristics that come with breastfeeding and attachment.

Material and Methods:
This is a longitudinal study involving a group of 216 Greek expectant fathers who participated with their partners in an antenatal educational program performed by midwives in Athens, Greece (September 2020–November 2021). The Iowa Infant Feeding Attitudes Scale (IIFAS) and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (PAAS) were administered at two time points: (a) 24th–28th gestation week and (b) 34th–38th gestation week. The T-test and Univariate Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) were performed.

Results:
The expectant fathers’ scores show that breastfeeding intention/exclusivity and prenatal attachment to the fetus were higher after their participation in the antenatal education program, but the difference was not statistically insignificant. Expectant fathers with a cohabitation agreement (p = 0.026) and the private-sector employees (p = 0.016) seemed to have greater paternal antenatal attachment. The men who felt very much supported by their partners reported greater paternal antenatal attachment compared to those with moderate or no support (p = 0.001) and the participants who had no relationship difficulties showed greater paternal antenatal attachment to the fetus. Regarding prevalent emotions during pregnancy, those who reported being very happy (p < 0.001) and those who had experienced no feelings of sadness during pregnancy had greater paternal antenatal attachment.

Conclusions:
Although the difference was statistically insignificant, the expectant fathers’ scores, which show breastfeeding intention/exclusivity and prenatal attachment to the fetus, were higher after their participation in the antenatal education program performed by midwives, compared to their scores at the beginning of the program. Also, this study presents some factors, such as the emotional support from partners and the absence of relationship difficulties that were associated with increased rates of paternal antenatal attachment to the fetus. Given the value of the fathers’ role during breastfeeding, future research should be directed toward the identification of factors that impact the expectant fathers’ attitudes toward breastfeeding. This research highlights the role of midwives in the greater involvement of fathers in antenatal education which can potentially lead to higher rates of breastfeeding and antenatal attachment. In addition, further research is needed to determine additional factors that may affect paternal antenatal attachment during pregnancy like the number of children they have and the period of trying to conceive.