Mindfulness in maternity: Evaluation of a course for midwives

Abstract

Stress and burnout are endemic in the NHS and the midwifery profession, having a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of individual midwives and on retention and recruitment for the profession as a whole. Stress can also have a negative impact on the care of women as midwives seek to manage their stress levels by employing strategies such as task orientation. As part of a larger project to engage staff in personal and workplace wellbeing, the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust maternity services provided staff with the opportunity to learn the practice of mindfulness meditation. An 8-week course was made available with the intention of supporting staff to manage stress and anxiety, increase resilience and self-compassion, and improve the culture of the organisation as a whole. Evaluations carried out immediately post-course and after 4-6 months indicated a positive impact in both personal and organisational domains.

Methods for Alleviating Stress and Increasing Resilience in the Midwifery Community: A Scoping Review of the Literature

“…The study was aimed less at those midwives who have experienced attendance at a traumatic birth, and more at general and systematic work-related stress. 30 The results of a qualitative questionnaire revealed positive effects on levels of stress and improved ability to cope immediately after the intervention; these impacts were sustained at 4 to 6 months postintervention. Table 1.…”

“…Warriner, Hunter, and Dymond conducted a study in the United Kingdom of midwives (69% of cohort) and other maternity health care providers (n = 46) in which participants engaged in an 8‐week mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) course. The study was aimed less at those midwives who have experienced attendance at a traumatic birth, and more at general and systematic work‐related stress . The results of a qualitative questionnaire revealed positive effects on levels of stress and improved ability to cope immediately after the intervention; these impacts were sustained at 4 to 6 months postintervention.…”

Does a modified mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course have the potential to reduce stress and burnout in NHS GPs? Feasibility study

“…The clinical evidence base for its use is strongest for patients with recurrent depression who are in remission, for which Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has been approved for over 10 years and shown to be equivalent in efficacy, and so an alternative to, ongoing antidepressant medications (Kuyken et al, 2015). There is also an increasing evidence base for its use as an intervention to address the high levels of stress and burnout in a variety of healthcare professionals (Shapiro et al, 2005), including those working in Primary Care (Aranda Auserón et al, in press, Martin Asuero et al, 2013), as well as medical students (Warnecke et al, 2011) and UK midwives (Warriner et al, 2016).…”

Being there and reconnecting: Midwives' perceptions of the impact of Mindfulness training on their practice

“…Although none of the contributing causes of stress and distress in midwifery are easily resolved, there is evidence that they can be mitigated if organisations take steps to support and care for staff (Royal College of Midwives, 2016). One strategy that has been tried to decrease stress and improve well-being among nurses and midwives is mindfulness training (Guillaumie, Boiral, & Champagne, 2016;Hunter, 2016;Warriner, Hunter, & Dymond, 2016). Mindfulness uses meditation techniques to bring attention to and observe what is happening in the present moment (Chiesa & Serretti, 2009;Warriner et al, 2016).…”

“…One strategy that has been tried to decrease stress and improve well-being among nurses and midwives is mindfulness training (Guillaumie, Boiral, & Champagne, 2016;Hunter, 2016;Warriner, Hunter, & Dymond, 2016). Mindfulness uses meditation techniques to bring attention to and observe what is happening in the present moment (Chiesa & Serretti, 2009;Warriner et al, 2016). It promotes nonjudgemental acceptance and curiosity regarding one's own and others' thoughts and emotions, including ruminative and destructive thought patterns (Ludwig & Kabat-Zinn, 2008).…”