Effects of an antenatal mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting programme on the postpartum experiences of mothers: a qualitative interview study.

Françoise Roy Malis; Thorsten Meyer; Mechthild M Gross

doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1240-9

Effects of an antenatal mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting programme on the postpartum experiences of mothers: a qualitative interview study.

Françoise Roy Malis, Thorsten Meyer, Mechthild M Gross

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth February 7, 2017 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-017-1240-9 (opens in new tab)

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Characteristics	Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size	9
Population	Ten pregnant women over 18 years of age with singleton pregnancies and no diagnoses of mental illness enrolled in a Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting programme; nine interviews were analysed
Intervention	Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting programme
Topics	Meditation
Keywords	Antenatal Childbirth Experience Midwifery Parenting programme Perception Postpartum Shelter Woman
Key findings	Five themes described how mothers experienced mindfulness after childbirth: perception of the present moment, breathing, acceptance, self-compassion, and the perception of mindfulness as a shelter. The authors suggest mindfulness practices may contribute to a mother's psychological wellbeing, and report that the perception of mindfulness as a shelter had not previously been described.

Abstract

Applications of mindfulness during the perinatal period have recently been explored and appear to offer a decrease in stress, anxiety and depression during this period. However, it still remains unclear what practical use women make of mindfulness during the postpartum period and the mechanisms through which it works. The subjective experience of mindfulness practice by mothers is not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to explore how women enrolled in a "Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting programme" experienced mindfulness practice during the postpartum period. Ten pregnant women over 18 years of age with singleton pregnancies, no diagnoses of mental illness and participation in a "Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting programme" were recruited to take part in a postpartum interview. Audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically based on a phenomenological approach. The transcripts of nine interviews were submitted to a coding process consisting of the identification of words, sentences or paragraphs expressing common ideas. These ideas were classified in codes, each code representing a specific description, function or action (e.g. self-perception, personal organization, formal/informal meditation practice). Progressively, a framework of thematic ideas was extracted from the transcripts, allowing the interviews to be systematically organized and their content analysed in depth. Five themes emerged from the descriptions of practices of mindfulness during the postpartum period: perception of the present moment, breathing, acceptance, self-compassion and the perception of mindfulness as a shelter. Mindfulness practices during the postpartum period may contribute to a mother's psychological wellbeing. The perception of mindfulness as a shelter had not previously been reported. Future research could address whether this role is specific to the postpartum period.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan...	2017	Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system	2004	Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety	2006	Exploratory mixed methods study	n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context	2001	Qualitative study	n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators	2013	Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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