An antenatal intervention pilot service development project in a community perinatal team

Abstract

Objective The Adjustment to motherhood group was designed for women under the Hertfordshire Community perinatal team (CPT) in late 2021, as an antenatal intervention to ease the transition to motherhood, to strengthen the mother-infant relationship, and to keep baby safe despite challenges. Our hypothesis was that the group would support women who did not feel mentally or emotionally prepared for the baby’s arrival. The group consisted of four weekly hour-long virtual antenatal sessions. One session was delivered each by occupational therapist, nursery nurse, clinical psychologist and parent-infant psychotherapist, with a mix of didactic and psychoeducation. The 4 sessions enable the therapists to prepare the women for common situations they may encounter once their baby arrived, and encouraged the participants to be open to contacting the perinatal team if they recognised they were struggling. They were followed by a postnatal reunion session, approximately a month later. Psychology resources and a booklet on Adjusting to motherhood were circulated. Methods Mixed methods design. Referrals were sought from all clinicians in the community perinatal team who also obtained verbal consent. The referred women were grouped according to their gestations and estimated due date. Ethical approval was not sought as this was a service evaluation. Sample: 10 women in the pilot, 24 women in two subsequent groups, mostly first-time mums. Data collection: Quantitative: A questionnaire was circulated antenatally and postnatally, based on the Rigidity of maternal beliefs scale (RMBS) and the Pre- and Post-natal Bonding Scale (PPBS). Qualitative data was collected during feedback session in reunion groups. Results More than half of the referred women attended most sessions; there was a low response rate in the postnatal questionnaire however there was improvement in relationship with baby among those who answered. Conclusion This is an acceptable low-cost antenatal intervention that can benefit first time mums and improve the relationship with their baby. Similar groups can be created in other regions. It can be improved by co-designing future iterations, by distributing the validated questionnaires to a bigger number of mothers and to include a session addressed at fathers.