For the intervention group, all post programme mental health scores improved, with changes on the DASS-21 anxiety subscale reaching statistical significance p=0.02; On the FFMQ, the intervention group showed significant increases on 2 of the 5 subscales of the FFMQ: observing p=<0.001 and describing p=0.03. No significant changes on outcome measures over time were observed in the control group. A between-group comparison of the post-programme means for the intervention and care as usual group was conducted via 2-sample t tests, and no significant between-group differences were found. Ireland—recruitment took place in the antenatal outpatient department and a private consultant clinic. Posters and leaflets were made available in various locations including general practitioner surgeries, medical centres and birth classes. Pan WL, Lin LC, Kuo LY, Chiu MJ, Ling PY. Pan WL, et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 Jul 31;23(1):547. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05873-2. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023. PMID: 37525110 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial. Andersson L, Sundström-Poromaa I, Wulff M, Aström M, Bixo M. Depression and anxiety during pregnancy and six months postpartum: a follow-up study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2006;85(8):937–44. Reporter Susan Freinkel follows two expectant couples from their first class in mindfulness-based childbirth to the blessed (not to mention challenging) event. From Mindful’s August 2013 issue.

Mindfulness techniques are not just for labour – they should also become part of our daily life afterwards. Mindfulness can be extremely useful in the more frustrating moments of dealing with children, like dealing calmly and staying balanced in the middle of a child’s tantrum. It helps us handle stress better and become more resilient. Just as in those rest periods between contractions, we can develop the ability to find quiet breaks in our work. Mindfulness is about being more ‘present’ with your child, being mindful even during the most mundane tasks, but we shouldn’t be critical of ourself when we slip up – that defeats the object! This study provides preliminary evidence that a brief mindfulness-based childbirth preparation program during pregnancy can shift child-bearers’ trajectories of distress through one-year post-birth. In particular, we found that participation in MIL (compared to TAU) predicted a decrease in the depressive symptom component of perinatal distress, with trend-level effects on an overall distress aggregate. We further found that those with the greatest mental health needs—i.e., pregnant people with higher anxiety and/or lower mindfulness at baseline—received the most benefit, with significant reductions in distress slopes and lower ending levels of postpartum distress compared to their TAU counterparts. Processes driving these findings and implications for perinatal mental health promotion are considered below. Townshend K, Jordan Z, Stephenson M, Tsey K. Townshend K, et al. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2016 Mar;14(3):139-80. doi: 10.11124/JBISRIR-2016-2314. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2016. PMID: 27532143 Allow the mindful practise to adapt with the baby – inevitably what was a 2-hour daily yoga and meditation practise in pregnancy could end up as 10 minutes of meditation whilst baby naps, 10 minutes of stretching whilst holding it and 10 minutes of breath awareness whilst nursing or feeding. It could be a while before we can return to the regular routine, but just taking time for moments of practise everyday will make a vast difference to our energy level, our patience, and ability to engage positively and mindfully with the child and others.

Preacher KJ, Curran PJ, Bauer DJ. Computational tools for probing interaction effects in multiple linear regression, multilevel modeling, and latent curve analysis. J Educ Behav Stat. 2006;31:437–48.

Significantly more self-efficacy, more positive expectations of their births and less fearful of giving birth after completing the programme. The perinatal period is a time of immense change, which can be a period of stress and vulnerability for mental health difficulties. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise for reducing distress, but further research is needed to identify long-term effects and moderators of mindfulness training in the perinatal period. Methods To keep up with your responsibilities, you’re probably used to doing more than one thing. However, multitasking is far less beneficial than you think. For one, it causes you to waste time. Even worse, it’s detrimental to your health and success. The various hazards of multitasking include impaired cognitive ability and poor performance when completing tasks. You may even compromise your safety. Resist the urge to get everything done. It won’t be possible as a new parent—and it’s definitely not helpful during pregnancy. Instead, create a list of what you must do each day, as well as what can wait. Becoming pregnant is a beautiful moment in any person's life, but we understand that it can be challenging to keep your body nurtured and supported throughout this journey. Don't worry, DK has got you covered! There was a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms in IPT and MFB groups from intake to postpartum p=0.002. Significant decrease in depression symptoms in IPT and MFB ( p<0.001). Worry also decreased ( p<0.001) from intake to the end session of the groups and into the postpartum period.Wondering how you can incorporate some of those benefits into your own pregnancy? Here are her five tips for having a mindful pregnancy and early parenthood from Aimee Karr, who teaches yoga and meditation for pregnancy at her studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Catov, J. M., Abatemarco, D. J., Markovic, N., & Roberts, J. M. (2010). Anxiety and optimism associated with gestational age at birth and fetal growth. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 14(5), 758–764. healthy pregnant nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies between 12 and 32weeks gestation at time of enrolment

Miller RL, Pallant JF, Negri LM. Anxiety and stress in the postpartum: is there more to postnatal distress than depression? BMC Psychiatry. 2006;6(1):12. Hofmann SG, Gómez AF. Mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety and depression. Psychiatr Clin North America. 2017;40(4):739–49. Mind My Bump is a UK-based company, founded by mindfulness teacher, Chartered Clinical Psychologist and mum, Dr Leah Callebaut.Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Physiological stress—cortisol levels in saliva (3 consecutive mornings at baseline and post-intervention) Pain during labour– practising mindfulness during childbirth can give enormous benefits. Studies have shown that first-time mothers who fear childbirth are more likely to have longer labours and women can often feel overwhelmed by pain, by fear of not coping and of losing control, yet there are other women who somehow session groups were delivered consistent with the standard MBCT treatment manual, with modifications for the perinatal period. The standard MBCT programme includes psychoeducation and training in cognitive behavioural and mindfulness meditation practices designed to prevent depressive relapse/recurrence and promote wellness. Specifically, participants learn formal mindfulness practices (i.e. sitting and walking meditation, body scan and yoga stretching), informal mindfulness practices (i.e. mindfulness of daily activities and the 3-min breathing space) and cognitive behavioural skills (i.e. monitoring pleasant and unpleasant events, identifying thoughts and beliefs and their relationship to emotion, identifying relapse signs and developing action plans). Modifications for perinatal depression focused primarily on increased attention to brief informal mindfulness practices (e.g. washing dishes and driving), mindfulness and yoga practices customised for the perinatal period (e.g. “being with baby” informal practice and prenatal yoga poses), psychoeducation about perinatal depression and transition to parenthood and self-compassion, self-care and social support. Audio-recorded files were provided each week to guide mindfulness meditation practices at home (recorded for the study by an expert meditation teacher) and a DVD was provided to guide yoga practice (recorded for the study by an expert perinatal yoga teacher).