How new parents are supported during the coronavirus
The closure of face-to-face classes due to coronavirus restrictions has left many first-time parents having to navigate the preparations for birth on their own.
Hibernation
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hibernation. Followed categories will be added to My News.
For many first-time parents, raising a baby can be an exercise in isolation.
Doing it in a time of pandemic has highlighted how fragile social networks are due to medical restrictions and closures.
Some hospitals have taken unprecedented steps for safety’s sake, including barring partners, relatives and doulas from the delivery room.
Expectant mothers have been denied contact with their safety net of family and friends while parents of newborns have had limited face-to-face contact with child health professionals.
Experts agree that preparing mentally and emotionally during pregnancy can reduce the risk of mood disorders, like post-partum anxiety and depression, and ease the transition to parenthood.
Parent coach Rachel Schofield said it’s important for both expectant and new parents to take good care of themselves, especially during uncertain times.
“There’s nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed or exhausted,” she said. “It’s good to reach out for help if you are stressed. Everyone deserves good emotional support.”
The closure of antenatal classes due to coronavirus restrictions has left many first-time parents, including Aaron and Aki Jaeger who recently welcomed their son Kai on May 22, having to navigate the preparations for birth on their own.
“It was certainly a unique experience unlike what we had imagined would happen in normal times,” Mr Jaeger said. “Our antenatal classes were cancelled and as our families are based interstate and overseas we haven’t been able to introduce him to everyone as proud parents normally would.”
With their days full of bottles, swaddles, cuddles, crying and endless exhaustion, the couple reached out to health insurer NIB for a solution for online advice.
“They told me about the Nourish Baby program and it really came at the perfect time,” Mr Jaeger said. “We had access to online labour videos and health information so we had some idea of what to expect.
“The best thing was knowing that the information we were getting was vetted and delivered by actual experts and professionals. We could just watch, take notes and learn without second guessing if the information was legit or not. It helped us to relax in knowing what was to come ahead of us, then we were able to put that advice into practice only days later.”
Since the pandemic, the number of new parents accessing online courses has grown tenfold reflecting the need for reliable alternative sources of information in the absence of traditional health service channels.
A recent Nourish Baby survey shows 72 per cent of first-time parents have signed up in the past three months.
Its courses, which cover all aspects of pregnancy and the first three years of a child’s life, allow lifetime access so parents can learn at their own pace by qualified antenatal and early parenting health professionals.
“Providing parents with access to quality education from the comfort and safety of their own home helps ease the angst and instils a sense of preparedness and confidence as they navigate through the transition to parenthood,” Nourish Baby director Melissa Grant said.
The company has teamed up with NIB to offer members free access to virtual courses giving parents the skills to cope with the pregnancy all the way through to the toddler years.