Would you like to take part in a research study?
I’m looking for UK based pregnant women to take part in a research study exploring the emotional journey of pregnancy.
I’m working with the University of Nottingham Psychology Department to collaborate on a research project to evaluate the use of my Fearless Birthing method in supporting women in dealing with anxiety, fears and depression during pregnancy. You don’t need any pre-existing conditions to be affected by fear, anxiety or depression during pregnancy so it can happen to anyone. Currently, women suffering from mental health conditions during pregnancy are sign-posted to sources of support that are not always efficient enough to be able to help them in the time required. Also, mental health support is not widely available so access to help can be limited for some.
Anxiety affects pregnancy birth outcomes negatively
From the evidence available (1) we know that pregnancy anxiety not only affects pregnant women’s health but also has an impact on labour outcomes. Anxiety in pregnancy can affect the likelihood of things such as
- preterm delivery
- prolonged labour
- caesarean birth,
- low birth weight
When you combine these potential outcomes with those that may arise as a result of fear, it’s clear that helping women to deal with fear and anxiety in pregnancy needs to be an important focus if we’re to improve birth outcomes for women. This is why I believe it’s important for us to be doing this anxiety in pregnancy research study.
Who are we looking for?
If you’re interested in taking part in the anxiety in pregnancy research then this is who we’re looking for;
- Must be between 12-16 weeks pregnant when beginning the study.
- Must be at least 18 years old.
- Must be able to speak and read fluent English.
- Must be a UK resident.
You can either apply to take part here or you can contact Dr Megan Barnard directly here.
Find out more about the anxiety in pregnancy research study here
How to take part
You can either apply to take part here or you can contact Dr Megan Barnard directly here.
Sources
1. Catov et al., 2010, Hernandez-Martinez et al., 2011, Lobel et al., 2008, Rauchfuss and Maier, 2011.
Alexia supports families planning pregnancy and birth. She helps them to overcome their fears and feel calm and confident about birth and pregnancy.
Alexia also trains birth professionals in the Fearless Birthing, a unique approach to birth preparation that is ideal for those who have fears around birth.
- Erin’s Tokophobia Healing Journey - 6th March 2024
- How Unhealed Tokophobia Can Affect You In Unexpected Ways - 27th February 2024
- Overcoming Birth Trauma: Heather’s Journey to Positive Birth - 14th December 2023
