Maternal Health Awareness week aims to raise awareness of mental health problems that can affect women during pregnancy and after birth. As much as 1 in 5 women experience mental health problems during the perinatal period which, if left untreated, can have a significant and long-lasting impact on mothers and their families.
This seems a high percentage, but it’s maybe not surprising when considering the economic, professional, and social pressures faced by many mothers today; not least of which is the lack of support available for many families. In a society where communal living and extended family structures are less common, many mothers face the daunting task of child-rearing in isolation, significantly impacting their mental health.
It would be interesting to know how many women are asked about their mental/emotional states and stress levels during prenatal check-ups. As Gabor Mate cites in his most recent book ‘The Myth of Normal’, research has found that:
“the foetuses of mothers who are stressed or depressed respond differently from those of emotionally healthy women and after birth these infants have a significantly increased risk of developing learning and behavioural problems and may themselves be more vulnerable to depression or anxiety as they age”.
In addition, links have been made between many adult physical health challenges and intrauterine stress. These findings would point towards the need to consider to what extent our culture supports or undermines mother’s capacity to hold their own and their infant babies needs as a high priority. The most primal need of an infant is a secure attachment, or emotional bond, with their caregiver, which affects healthy psychological development and can form a template for future relationships.
As the developmental psychologist Dr Gordon Neufeld states in his book co-written with Gabor Mate: ‘Hold onto Your Kids, Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers’:
“for a child to be open to being parented by an adult, he must be actively attaching to that adult, be wanting contact and closeness with him. At the beginning of life this desire to attach is quite physical – the infant literally clings to the parent and needs to be held. If everything unfolds according to design, the attachment will evolve into an emotional closeness and finally a sense of psychological intimacy. Children who lack this kind of connection are very difficult to parent or, often, even to teach.”
However, this precious time of infant bonding and the ability of mothers to be a source of calm, loving presence is compromised by the increasingly fast-paced, tech-consumed, distracted/addicted, peer-oriented culture we now live in.
What is the solution?
Maternal mental health is a complex multi-faceted issue, but in integrating insights from Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate’s books, several strategies emerge for enhancing maternal mental health:
Foster Connection: Encourage social networks, community groups, and online forums that provide mothers with a sense of belonging and mutual support. Actively promote the idea of creating an attachment village through the cultivation of relationships with like-minded adults/relatives who can support the mother and help nurture the child.
Support Self-Care: Normalise self-care and mental health breaks for mothers, highlighting their importance for maintaining emotional balance and attachment capacities. Including engaging in individual and/or couples therapy to address any unresolved issues from their own childhoods. Mothers need permission and encouragement to care for themselves, reinforcing the idea that their well-being is fundamental to their family's health.
Educate on Attachment: Offer resources and programs that educate parents on attachment principles, empowering them to form strong, nurturing connections with their children, which in turn supports their own mental health.
