Welcome to Parenthood is associated with reduction of postnatal depressive symptoms during the transition from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum in a community sample: a longitudinal evaluation

Becoming a mother is a fundamental life-transforming event characterized by high psychosocial distress. Most prenatal programming leaves women feeling unprepared for the realities of early parenthood. The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a brief enhancement to existing prenatal programming, Welcome to Parenthood® (W2P). Using a single-group, longitudinal design, we implemented W2P with a community sample of 454 primiparous women via 11 Parent Link Centres in Alberta, Canada. The women completed questionnaires during late pregnancy, and 2 and 6 months postpartum to capture adverse childhood experiences (ACE), depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale; EPDS), and infant development (Ages and Stages Questionnaires; ASQs). Outcomes were compared with the naturalistic values from All Our Families community cohort from the same province and to the ASQ reference samples. By the end of W2P, depressive symptoms decreased significantly (p < .0001). The number of women with high depressive symptoms (EPDS ≥ 10) decreased almost by half, from 80 (17.6%) at enrollment to 41 (9.0%) at 6 months postpartum. Women with higher ACE had the greatest decrease in depressive symptoms. Infants in W2P had significantly better development than infants in reference samples. W2P is associated with improved maternal mood and infant development. Given that W2P is brief and uses natural supports, it may be integrated into existing prenatal programming for first-time mothers.