Becoming a parent is stressful, and it can be especially so for those who already have higher levels of anxiety and worry, but researchers at Penn State have found that the type of birthing class parents take may help them better manage stress.

Mindfulness-based birthing classes helped both child-bearers and their partners manage the stress of parenthood better than traditional community-based birthing classes, according to the team, based in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State.

The study, published in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, highlights the benefits of mindfulness techniques in supporting well-being for child-bearers and their families, the researchers said.

“Having support from a community as well as a set of practices like those from a mindfulness-based class can make a crucial difference in how much the child-bearer and their family enjoy the possibilities for connection and growth without being pulled under by the difficulties and stress of parenting,” said Heidemarie Laurent, associate professor of human development and family studies and lead author of the study.

Traditional community-based birthing classes incorporate much of the same educational content on prenatal health, childbirth, pain management techniques for labor, and postpartum health and newborn care. However, the curriculum rarely incorporates explicit mindfulness techniques, Laurent said.

For this study, researchers utilized Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP), a wellness promotion program intended to support the physical and psychological well-being of child-bearers, their children and the family as a whole. It teaches mindfulness practices designed to reduce stress in the context of pregnancy and birth, as well as educates parents to prepare for the demands of having a newborn. Such practices include focused attention and movement meditations, as well as techniques to integrate mindfulness into daily parenting activities, like doing a walking meditation while soothing a crying baby.

“The more we can make mindfulness a way of relating to our own and others’ experiences in the tumult of life — and not just isolated on a meditation cushion — the more we stand to gain.”

– Heidemarie Laurent, Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion and associate professor of human development and family studies

The study included 83 participants, who were randomly assigned to one of two groups — one participating in an MBCP course and one participating in community-based birthing classes. All of the birthing parents were having single births and scored moderate to high on a standard assessment of worry and stress. None of them had previous training in meditation or yoga practices, which use similar techniques to mindfulness practices.

The participants completed their assigned birthing class between week 20 and 37 of their pregnancy and were encouraged to include their partner in the birthing class. At 37-weeks pregnant and three to six months postpartum, they were asked to complete a post-class questionnaire.

A foundational tenet of wellness programs like MBCP is learning to approach experiences with openness and non-resistance. While it may not lessen the painful aspects of the experiences, it can diminish the suffering and stress that it brings, according to the researchers. They hypothesize that this quality of openness especially helps those parents facing increased anxiety and worry.

The researchers found that participants who participated in MBCP reported lower levels of perceived stress following the class compared to those in a community-based birthing class. Participants who began the study with higher levels of anxiety and worry, as well as those who continued to engage in mindfulness after the class was over, saw even greater benefits.

They also found that participants who engaged a co-parent in the class with them significantly increased the benefits of an MBCP class.

“From this study’s findings in particular, I believe we need to create family-oriented mindfulness programs that don’t require having a partner, but rather that conceptualize family more broadly and help child-bearers cultivate a solid support network from wherever they are,” Laurent said.

According to Laurent, child-bearers who are looking to integrate mindfulness-based practices into their birth and parenting plans should look for a class that is taught by someone who has a solid grounding in mindfulness practices themselves. Asking about the instructor’s history, training, and current practice of mindfulness can help get a sense of this.

She said that parents should also consider the teacher’s experience with trauma-sensitive practices and their openness to adapting the course to meet individual parents’ and families’ specific needs.

“Based on what I have observed in myself and other parents attempting to practice mindfulness, an important part of embracing mindfulness practices is integrating it into daily parenting activities,” Laurent said. “The more we can make mindfulness a way of relating to our own and others’ experiences in the tumult of life — and not just isolated on a meditation cushion — the more we stand to gain.”

The Mind and Life Institute PEACE grant funded this study.

Katherine Haigler and Kento Suzuki in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State, Marissa Sbrilli in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Larissa Duncan in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison contributed to this research.

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