As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to last, more women are likely to give birth and experience postpartum during this time. Some will even have multiple pregnancies and experiences. We are physical activity researchers and advocates of exercise as medicine. We study the impact of exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of women who have just given birth.
COVID-19 has had a negative impact on women’s mental wellbeing and physical activity. Mothers have been particularly affected by the pandemic. Women’s mental health and behavior of physical activity have been negatively affected, especially mothers who are more vulnerable due to their increased childcare duties. The increased challenges of caring for babies in the postpartum period puts new mothers at a disadvantage.
Postpartum challenges
The Postpartum Phase can be defined as the six weeks immediately following childbirth, when the most significant physical changes are occurring. These include uterine shrinkage and hormonal fluctuations. This can have a substantial impact on the mental health and wellbeing of new mothers. The prevalence of depression in this group is around 15%. It is possible that new mothers can continue to feel the effects of postpartum for up to a year.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, postpartum women have reported more mental health problems. 41% of them say depression, and 72% report moderate to high anxiety, compared to 15% and 29% pre-pandemic.
The effects of the pandemic are now magnified. Women giving birth during the pandemic might have experienced a reduction in direct maternal care and lack of home support due to restrictions on visiting.
Physical activity can be an effective treatment for anxiety and depression, and it may also benefit new mothers. Even a 45-minute group session can reduce anxiety levels in women who have no history of mental illness. Women who exercise during the postnatal period have better mental health compared to those who do not.
The postpartum period is lower than the pre-pregnancy period. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists recommends that women gradually resume physical activity between four and six weeks following childbirth and progress up to the 150-minute guidelines for moderate to vigorous activity per week. Postnatal barriers can include a reduced motivation to exercise due to childcare and a lack of social support.
Pandemic-safe exercise solutions
moms need innovation. Outdoor environments are easy to access, COVID-19-safe, and have additional benefits. Exercise in nature (also known as ” Green Exercise”) has been linked to a reduction in anxiety and stress. Being outside also increases the enjoyment of exercise.
Could we provide new moms with a safe outdoor physical activity program? We wanted to give moms the tools to return to physical exercise safely and to ensure that they are competent to do physical activity with their new baby. We need to help moms find their way to optimal mental health and movement if we want them to thrive in the new normal.
In spring 2021, we worked with a team from the University of the Fraser Valley to enroll 21 women who were under nine months postpartum in a biweekly, eight-week outdoor group exercise program. Iris, one of the authors of this article and a mother of 2 (including a child born during the pandemic), was interested in meeting the physical activity requirements of new mothers from a professional as well as purely personal perspective.
Women were able to participate fully in the program by completing it in an outdoor setting with physical separation. This allowed them to avoid any risk of COVID-19 exposure. After the program, mothers reported that depression had decreased, and they were better able to meet their basic psychological needs. The perceived stress and anxiety were also reduced, though not significantly.
Research is ongoing
These findings suggest that group exercise may improve the overall wellbeing of new mothers. This group exercise was designed to address a number of common barriers that prevent postnatal exercise participation. The program was designed for postpartum fitness and offered the option to bring the child. We plan to follow up at six months in order to determine the long-term effects of physical activity.
Postpartum women may be motivated to exercise more if they are provided with opportunities for physical activity. This could improve the mental health of this vulnerable population.
There is still a gap in the literature about women’s experiences with postnatal physical activities. To learn more, we are recruiting women who have not yet completed a 12-month postpartum period to fill out an online survey.