Background;For mothers in low-income countries, the World Health Organization proposed in 2002 a focused antenatal care strategy consisting of four visits. Only 46%  mothers follow the suggestion, despite the high percentage of women (95%) who see a professional attendant and the implementation of the suggested antenatal strategy. Finding the cultural attitudes influencing women's decisions about prenatal care or pregnancy-related health care was the aim of this study.Methods; In a qualitative study assessing barriers to antenatal care, twenty pregnant mothers and eight health workers from one urban tertiary care facilitiey in Dera Ghazi Khan Punjab Pakistan was enlisted. Face-to-face interviews, audio recordings of the interviews, and a demographic survey were used to gather data between September and December of 2022. Results: Maternal cultural values that were identified included revealing pregnancy, asking village elders for advice, and maintaining marital fidelity. Health professionals reported that because healthcare practitioners frequently shared the same cultural views, they would turn away women who attempted to defy them. Conclusion:Cultural beliefs play an integral role in the decision-making process of antenatal care. Specifically, the belief and practice of when to disclose pregnancy prohibits women from seeking antenatal care in the first trimester.

Index Terms- antenatal care, culture, maternal child health, pregnancy, prenatal care.