Written by: Mary Anne Peck, Mary Anne Peck: Writing and Workshops
COVID-19 AND MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH Becoming a parent is a beautiful and incredibly challenging time for many people. There are many physical and psychological changes associated with the perinatal phase (pregnancy and the year after childbirth), and these changes and milestones were deeply impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 created an environment with new risks and uncertainty for pregnant people and new parents, and this increase in risk brought an increase in mental health challenges. HOW CAN COVID IMPACT PREGNANCY?From senior citizens to chronically ill individuals, there are vulnerable populations who live at a higher risk of experiencing severe COVID complications. One of these populations is pregnant people. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Pregnant people with severe COVID-19 also may be more likely to develop other health problems as a result of COVID-19. They include heart damage, blood clots and kidney damage. Moderate to severe symptoms from COVID-19 have also been linked to higher rates of preterm birth, high blood pressure, or preeclampsia.” These risks can cause stress to pregnant people, and for people who were pregnant during the initial outbreak, this stress was especially high. Pregnant people missed prenatal appointments and gave birth without loved ones present due to social-distancing regulations, making pregnancy a very different experience than it would have been pre-COVID. COVID AND PARENTHOODThe spread of COVID-19 led communities around the world to shift the way we work and learn. Many professionals began to work from home to prevent the spread of the disease and schools moved to remote learning models. Mothers who experienced higher levels of school support during their children’s remote learning report that they experienced less stress and their children adapted well to the new model. However, educational professionals struggled in the early months of COVID to effectively teach students from a distance, and parents experienced a sharp increase in stress as they navigated working from home and facilitating their children’s education. MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES PREDATE COVIDThe truth is that maternal mental health struggles did not begin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, 20% of people in the perinatal period experienced mental health challenges. According to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, women may avoid seeking help for mental health symptoms due to stigma. They may worry that other people think they can’t care for their child or they are too weak to cope with the stress. While the stress of the COVID pandemic exacerbated this issue, the prevalence of mental health conditions among perinatal women is an indication of a much larger, societal issue: How can we provide better care for pregnant people and new parents? SUPPORTING PARENTS IN OUR COMMUNITYThis month, as we celebrate Mothers’ Day, we must look beyond flowers and nice cards and address how we can support parents throughout the year. If someone you love is showing signs of a mental health condition, such a perinatal depression, you can:
If you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health condition associated with COVID-19 or parenthood, please feel free to reach out to the American Samoa Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (684-699-0272) for information about community workshops, counseling, and resources available in American Samoa.
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