Supporting parents' emotional and mental health in the antenatal consultation.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2025
Identifier
DOI: 10.1038/s41372-024-02156-2; PMCID: PMC12032062
Abstract
Supporting parents' emotional and mental health is crucial during antenatal consultations, in which expectant parents often receive serious news about their infant and sometimes face complex antenatal or postnatal decision-making. Being considerate of the circumstances to mitigate barriers and stressors, utilizing clear and sensitive language, and personalizing counseling and decision-making to support parents' pluralistic values are strategies that individual neonatologists can use to promote parents' mental wellness in these encounters. Partnership with clinicians of other disciplines and professions in antenatal consultations can help in providing additional medical information and parent support; however, care must be coordinated within the team to ensure that confusing or conflicting counseling is avoided. In addition to improving communication skills for these encounters as individuals and teams, opportunities also exist to enhance support of parents' mental health at the institutional and national level.
Journal Title
Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association
Volume
45
Issue
6
First Page
705
Last Page
712
MeSH Keywords
Humans; Parents; Female; Pregnancy; Mental Health; Counseling; Prenatal Care; Referral and Consultation; Decision Making; Communication; Infant, Newborn; Emotions; Professional-Family Relations
PubMed ID
39462056
Keywords
Parents; Pregnancy; Mental Health; Counseling; Prenatal Care; Referral and Consultation; Decision Making; Communication; Emotions; Professional-Family Relations
Recommended Citation
Kukora SK, Branche T, Miller ER, Henner N, Kapadia V, Haward MF. Supporting parents' emotional and mental health in the antenatal consultation. J Perinatol. 2025;45(6):705-712. doi:10.1038/s41372-024-02156-2
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