New Mothers' Experiences with Online Postpartum Forums

Abstract

Purpose: To explore women's experiences with an online forum during the postpartum period. Study Design and Methods: All women involved in an online postpartum “birth club” on Babycenter.com during the first 6 months postpartum were invited to participate in the study. Participant characteristics and baseline mental well-being data were obtained along with their response to three open-ended questions about their experiences participating in an online mothers group. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used to analyze data. Results: Women (N = 393) who responded to open-ended questions were 29.2 (SD = 5.3) years old, Caucasian (85%), married or in a committed relationship (81%), and lived in the United States (75%). Ninety percent (n = 354) completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening Scale, of whom 18% (n = 65) scored ≥13, indicating risk of developing postpartum depression. Data analysis revealed five themes. The themes were integrated under the holistic concept of community and included 1) social support; 2) anonymity; 3) in-groups; 4) drama; and 5) entertainment/pastime. Clinical Implications: Findings suggest online forums can provide social support for new mothers. They can facilitate sharing of information, act as a source of entertainment, and provide a sense of community for participants who might otherwise feel isolated due to the demands of new motherhood. Nurses working with childbearing women should be aware of the positive and negative aspects of online forums so they can support new mothers who choose to participate.

Communication Across Maternal Social Networks During England’s First National Lockdown and Its Association With Postnatal Depressive Symptoms

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Prevalence of Positive Mental Health and Associated Factors Among Postpartum Women in Canada: Findings from a National Cross-Sectional Survey

“…A potential explanation for this counterintuitive finding is that women who seek parenting programs might have unmeasured characteristics, such as previous diagnosis of depression/anxiety, stressful pregnancy and whether they have been pregnant before, which could confound the relationship. Furthermore, questions on pregnancy and parenting support programs excluded online support groups, which is particularly noteworthy since online support groups are used by women for information gathering and social connections during the postpartum period (Baker and Yang 2018;McDaniel et al 2012;Teaford et al 2019). Some evidence suggests that online support groups can impact decision-making (Lagan et al 2011), well-being and mental health (McDaniel et al 2012) for postpartum women.…”

Impact of COVID-19 on the Perinatal Period Through a Biopsychosocial Systemic Framework

“…The app Veedamom, for example, can provide virtual interventions including mindfulness, psychoeducation, and journaling (Dyurich and Oliver in press). In the postpartum period, findings suggest virtual support forums for new mothers have the ability to facilitate information sharing, act as entertainment, and provide community which is more important than ever in this time of social distancing (Teaford et al 2019 ). And, because the transition for fathers is different than that of mothers due to the social construction of masculinity and fatherhood (Freitas and Fox 2015 ), it is important to help fathers find their own virtual community.…”