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It can be difficult to define the term mindfulness, but the NHS describes the practice as making a conscious effort to pay more attention to the present moment – to focus on your own thoughts, feelings and the world around you. There are many claims which suggest that employing mindfulness in our everyday lives can have a positive effect on our mental health. In particular, we are going to discuss the impact of using mindfulness techniques during pregnancy. This research published in F1000Research explores the benefits of incorporating a mindfulness program with pregnant women in Sri Lanka.

During pregnancy and childbirth, women are subject to many physiological and psychosocial changes, which can contribute to stresses for expectant mothers. This can have a negative impact on their mental health, which in turn can have detrimental effects on the health and wellbeing of the mothers, as well as the health and development of the offspring. For the child, these issues can include developmental delays, poor interaction between mother and child, issues with cognitive developments and inadequate size for the gestational age.

The authors of this study claim that it is in the best interest of health care professionals, mothers and society to limit these adverse effects, and therefore limit the negative impact on mental health during pregnancy. In this research, the authors implemented aspects of mindfulness techniques into routine antenatal care for women in Sri Lanka and measured the impact on their mental and physical health.

This program included meditation, prenatal yoga, mindful walking and eating. The researchers also provided the participating mothers with materials on the mindfulness technique, which they could refer to throughout their everyday lives.

At the end of this pilot study, the women reported that the training they had received had reduced daily life stressors and brought a sense a calm: “I was bored and stressed with the daily routine. With the training, I was able to face day-to-day problems in a calm mindful manner.”

The researchers also found that there was a significant improvement in interpersonal forms of communication. The provided training had given them the tools to improve their interaction with their spouse or current children. “When my elder child was stubborn, I was able to modestly tackle it. Even when other people came to argue, I was able to face them with patience. It was successful.”

Finally, the researchers also reported that some of the women had also reported a change in their physical health, including improved comfort and relaxation within the body. “When I fell ill, and I started practising the things we learned, putting them into action one by one, the body which was full of pain became normal in an unbelievable way.” This participant found using the body scan and meditation techniques she had learnt in the program, had helped her when she found herself experiencing abdominal pain.

From the research, it’s evident that mindfulness-training programs do have perceived benefits on pregnant women’s mental and physical health. Following from the success of this study, the authors have also stated that further research should be conducted in this area to assess the long-term health benefits and the feasibility of incorporating a program like this on a larger scale.

If you’d like to know more, then head to F1000Research to read this paper, the reviewer’s comments and more interesting research.