The Health Innovation and Wellbeing Research Community hosts webinar about supporting new mums experiencing negative thoughts

The discussion, held on 24 November 2021, was hosted by Dr Anna Cheshire, Research Fellow in Psychology. It welcomed an audience of new and expectant parents, as well as health and charity professionals who work with them, including many from NHS trusts across the country and some from as far away as Australia.

The webinar emerged from research published earlier this year in the Journal of Child and Family Studies which focused on new mums who would not be classed as postnatally depressed, but nevertheless experience negative thoughts about motherhood or their baby.

The research was conducted as part of an MSc in Psychology at the University of Westminster and was published by Naomi Law, lead author and Westminster alumna, Dr Cheshire, and Dr Pauline Hall, a Perinatal Clinical Psychologist from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide.

Naomi Law first provided the audience with an overview of the research, highlighting how it is very common for new mums to have negative thoughts such as "I feel like I'm a bad mum" or "I'm trapped", even when they are mentally well and not experiencing postnatal depression. She also outlined how these thoughts are connected to feelings of guilt and shame.

Irene Muma, a mother to a 1-year-old boy, spoke of her experience of having a baby during the Covid-19 pandemic, about the negative thoughts that she had experienced, and how she eventually sought help. Her testimony proved popular with audience members, who thanked her for her honesty and bravery in sharing her experience - an experience that many of them felt they could relate to.

Other speakers included Amy Chidley, a peer support worker, who talked about ways in which new parents can be supported more effectively before they reach the threshold of mental illness, and Dr Pauline Hall, who talked participants through the psychology of negative thinking and what happens in our minds when negative thoughts about motherhood occur.

The event ended with a chance for attendees to ask questions and a call for the parents and healthcare professionals present to be involved in ideas for future research and resources in this area. To provide ideas for future research and feedback on the webinar, please complete a short form.

Speaking about the event, Naomi Law said: “It was fantastic to be able to bring so many parents and healthcare professionals together for an open discussion of some of the harder aspects of becoming a mother. We hope that this is a step towards a greater awareness of how common it is for new mums to have negative thoughts, and towards reducing the guilt and shame attached to these thoughts.”

Watch the full recording of the webinar on Vimeo. This webinar was part of the Health Innovation and Wellbeing Research Community's patient and public involvement series. For more details on future sessions, please contact the lead of the community, Dr Nina Smyth.