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Supporting Perinatal Mental Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Bridle

    (Women’s Services, St. Thomas’ Hospital, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK)

  • Laura Walton

    (Women’s and Children’s Division, Princess Royal University Hospital, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London BR6 8ND, UK)

  • Tessa van der Vord

    (Women’s Health Services, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, London SW10 9NH, UK)

  • Olawunmi Adebayo

    (Maternity Services, Watford General Hospital, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Watford WD18 0HB, UK)

  • Suzy Hall

    (Maternity Services, University Hospital Lewisham, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, London SE13 6LH, UK)

  • Emma Finlayson

    (Women’s Services, St. Thomas’ Hospital, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK)

  • Abigail Easter

    (Department of Women & Children’s Health, School of Life Course & Population Sciences, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK)

  • Sergio A. Silverio

    (Department of Women & Children’s Health, School of Life Course & Population Sciences, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK)

Abstract

Mental health is especially important as women transition into parenthood. The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the rapid reconfiguration of maternity services, including perinatal mental healthcare, as offered by Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Midwives, in NHS Trusts in the United Kingdom. This article represents work undertaken in rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to document the findings from March 2020 up until May 2021 in literature published on perinatal mental health through the pandemic, as well as to engage in a knowledge mapping exercise across five NHS Trusts in London. In this research, we utilised a critical review methodology which purposefully selects and synthesises materials after extensive literature searching to provide a broad and informed narrative around an issue. For our knowledge mapping exercise, we utilised an inclusive stance to gather, pool, and synthesise data from five NHS Trusts regarding the provisions and reconfigurations of their perinatal mental health services, creating a comparable and translatable snapshot in time. Our rapid, critical review highlighted two themes: ‘Increased Perinatal Distress’ and ‘Inaccessible Services and Support’. Our knowledge mapping exercise produced four themes: ‘Retention of Existing Service Provision’; ‘Additional Services Provided’; ‘Reconfiguration of Service Provision’; ‘Additional Provision to Support Staff Wellbeing’. We conclude by offering best practice guidance in order to provide shared learning to aid the transition through para-pandemic circumstances to service delivery in a post-pandemic ‘new normal’.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Bridle & Laura Walton & Tessa van der Vord & Olawunmi Adebayo & Suzy Hall & Emma Finlayson & Abigail Easter & Sergio A. Silverio, 2022. "Supporting Perinatal Mental Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:3:p:1777-:d:742145
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    Cited by:

    1. Alice Keely & Mari Greenfield & Zoe Darwin, 2023. "“We Should Be Working Together, and It Felt like They Disrupted That”: Pregnant Women and Partners’ Experiences of Maternity Care in the First UK COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-15, February.

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