Darby Saxbe, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
How you tell the story of a momentous event can help you make sense of what happened. Research finds new moms’ and dads’ narratives around childbirth held clues about their transition to parenthood.
Fathers’ brains adjust their structure and function to parenthood.
María Paternina-Die
Darby Saxbe, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Magdalena Martínez García, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón IiSGM
Neuroscientists know that pregnant mothers’ brains change in ways that appear to help with caring for a baby. Now researchers have identified changes in new fathers’ brains, too.
The gift of sleep, time, self-care (“me time”) and a message of what a remarkable job she is doing may be what new mothers need most this Mother’s Day.
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Mothers with young children are consistently identified as having lower levels of physical activity and leisure opportunities, which place their physical and mental health at risk.
There are many ways that families, health-care providers and communities can support the sleep of mothers of babies six months and older.
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Supporting mothers’ and infants’ sleep can decrease the stressors of motherhood, improve maternal mood and mental health and promote better infant development.
Many women feel there is inadequate support for exercise after the birth of a child, stating a need for more information from health-care professionals about guidelines for returning to physical activity.
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When asked about postpartum exercise, women were curious about strategies and recommendations for physical activity after the birth of a child, including finding the time, energy and motivation.
Women who engage in physical activity in the postnatal period report better mental well-being than those who are less physically active.
Iris Lesser, University of The Fraser Valley and Scott Lear, Simon Fraser University
Women who are physically active in the postnatal period report better mental well-being than those who are less active, but the pandemic has made exercise less accessible.
Isolation and other pandemic stresses can harm pregnant women’s mental health, with effects on their babies too.
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Darby Saxbe, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Alyssa Morris, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Pregnant women’s experiences can affect their babies’ health, even into adulthood. Researchers know societywide stresses can lead to these long-term consequences – and the pandemic likely fits the bill.
The WHO recommends women should be encouraged to breastfeed straight after birth, for both the mothers’s and baby’s health, including increasing baby’s immunity.
Community support programs for breastfeeding have changed under COVID-19 restrictions.
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There is no evidence that the coronavirus is transmitted through breast milk, and breastfeeding is encouraged during COVID-19. However, the support available to new mothers has changed dramatically.
As many as one in five women experience postpartum depression.
(Liv Bruce/Unsplash)
Mobile health apps, teleconferencing with experts and thoughtfully designed educational platforms can all help families during the chaotic and confusing early years.
Breastfeeding mothers are turning to online groups due to dwindling real-life support — but these volunteer-led platforms don’t always have the best advice.
New research has found that mothers may be forgoing medication they need in order to breastfeed their babies.
LightField Studios/Shutterstock
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary
Assistant professor, School of Psychology, Scientist, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa