the access of such services, requires exploring the social reality as felt or lived by the discussants [27, 28]. This allows for the full exploration of the discussants’ specific needs and fully captures the cultural and social factors that may influence their choices. Capturing such sensitive data about the beliefs, values, feelings, and motivations that inform certain behaviors [27] whilst trying to preserve context [29] is not usually possible with quantitative data collection methods that use structured tools/instruments for data collection. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the quality of maternal-fetal and newborn care in ANC, delivery, and PNC services from the perspectives of Jordanian women in order to better understand the gaps in the completeness of maternity and child care in Jordan. Methods Design and settings This qualitative study was conducted as part of an assessment phase of a large-scale implementation research aimed at exploring surveillance and registration of perinatal deaths in Jordan. Since an open and broad methodological approach with no predefined specific issues and assumptions was taken, a large amount of empirical data was generated through 16 focus group discussions (FGDs) with healthcare workers and women. The FGDs with the health workers focused on the reality, challenges, and suggestions regarding the registration and documentation of perinatal deaths and the causes of death [30–32]. Meanwhile, the FGDs with the women focused on their experiences, perceptions, needs, and satisfaction towards maternal-fetal and child care services in Jordan, as well as the registration process of neonatal deaths and stillbirths. A total of 12 FGDs with women who attended three selected hospitals during the study periods were conducted. Four to five discussants were included in each group. The participant sociodemographic characteristics are presented in Table 1. All of the participating hospitals, two of which are maternal and pediatrics hospitals, are public, serve a large segment of the population, and are located in different geographical areas (North East, South, and North). Sampling and participant recruitment Pregnant and postpartum women who were receiving maternal-child care services at the selected hospitals were approached for inclusion. Initially, the research team scheduled a meeting with the head nurse of the maternal and child unit at each of the selected hospitals and explained the purpose of the study and the data collection procedure. The head nurses then informed pregnant women and mothers about the study and invited them to participate. They also provided women with the contact details of two female research members for any further questions or concerns. Then, the head nurse at each hospital scheduled the focus group sessions based on the participating women’s availability and convenience. After informed consent was obtained, a total of 52 women who attended the selected antenatal or postnatal care clinics were included in the study. Data collection The focus group discussions were carried out over a period of five months in 2018. Two doctoral degree-level female interviewers/facilitators and two female note-takers were trained for the purpose of data collection. The number of discussants in each group varied between four to five women. The FGDs were held using interview guidelines which had been developed in English and then translated into Arabic by the principal investigator (PI) of the project (Additional file 1). After subsequent discussions, the guidelines have previously been approved by the technical committee of the project, which included senior healthcare professionals, senior academics, and researchers. As part of the data collection process, the note-taker recorded field notes of the participants’ non-verbal expressions and reflections during the discussion. All FGDs were conducted in the local Arabic dialect and were digitally recorded, with the permission of the discussants. Ethical considerations Ethical approval was sought and obtained from the Institutional Research Committee of Jordan University of Science and Technology and from the Institutional Research Committee of the Ministry of Health. The facilitators assured the participants that participation in the study was entirely voluntary and that all data, including the audio records, notes, and transcripts, would be kept in a secure, locked location (in locked filing cabinets in a secure office and/or on a password-protected computer). Similarly, the participants were informed that if participation caused them any stress or discomfort at Alyahya et al. BMC Health Services Research (2019) 19:425 Page 3 of 16 Table 1 Participant characteristics FG1 Age (years) Number of Children Pregnancy status Type of Visit Hospital A. 1 ≥ 40 2–3 In the eighth month ANC 2 32–39 ≤ 1 In the eighth month ANC 3 ≥ 40 ≥ 6 – PNC 4 ≥ 40 ≤ 1 ≥ 6 In the eighth month ANC 2 32–39 2–3 – PNC 3 ≤ 23 ≤ 1 – PNC 4 ≤ 23 2–3 In the ninth month ANC Alyahya et al. BMC Health Services Research (2019) 19:425 Page 4 of 16 any point during the study, they had the right to withdraw from the study without any negative consequences or penalties. Data analysis All FGDs were fully transcribed and then checked for accuracy by the project team who attended the group discussions. All manuscripts were carefully read and a codebook was developed using a