Most pregnant people have heard of a birth plan and many mothers-to-be write up one to share their preferences for labor and giving birth, so their providers are aware of their wishes. But, have you considered creating a plan for your emotional health and well-being during your pregnancy or after the birth of your child?
What is the Thrive Guide?
Now more than ever many people are aware of the importance of mental wellness. Especially during times of intense physical, psychological, and emotional change, like the perinatal period, creating an emotional well-being plan is an important exercise in acknowledging your own needs and how to manage them.
The Thrive Guide is a personalized planning tool to help you anticipate and support your mental and emotional wellness needs during the perinatal period and into parenthood.
In my work as a healthcare provider and as a researcher, I have heard from countless pregnant and postpartum mothers who wished they had an action plan or reminders from others to prioritize their mental health. We know that one obstacle for many people who are pregnant or have recently given birth is that it is difficult to ask for help – there are so many demands on you that you are not often the center of attention. In one of our recent research studies, my team and I heard from hundreds of pregnant and parenting women across the nation who shared their perception that they did not have the appropriate resources to address their unique emotional health needs. They asked for a resource to help them be proactive in addressing their emotional wellness needs.
With my colleagues and co-creators Sara Moyer and Caroline Carrico, PhD, I developed the Thrive Guide as a response to the needs of those participants and patients, informed by our combined lived experiences as researchers, clinicians, and mothers.
The Thrive Guide is a one-page outline, available for free at ThriveGuide.vcu.edu, that walks you through the exercise of identifying caregivers, activities, and health care provider resources that you may need to support your emotional well-being during and after pregnancy. It allows you to identify signs when you might be overwhelmed – signs that your family members, friends, and providers might also look for when you’re not able to verbalize your feelings.
Who can use the Thrive Guide?
More than one in five people who are pregnant or who have recently given birth will experience a need for emotional and mental health support. Symptoms such as a sense of being overwhelmed or under pressure, depression, anxiety, stress, as well as obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors, can make it difficult for new parents and families to thrive.
Planning ahead for emotional well-being during all parts of your journey, from pre-conception through parenthood, can help you understand your emotions, triggers, and patterns of thinking or behavior; identify coping mechanisms or interventions; and help you communicate more effectively and nurture healthier relationships. Feeling overwhelmed, feeling under pressure, and experiencing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and/or depression can be intensely magnified during the fourth trimester (after the baby is born). But remember that these feelings can occur any time – and we know that emotional health is important all of the time.
The goal of the Thrive Guide is well-being – putting you at the center as an expert in your experience, needs, and preferences.
The Thrive Guide is purposefully simple and easy to access. You can complete it by yourself, with a supportive partner or friend, and/or in collaboration with your health care provider.
Having this plan in place ahead of time can be critical for that moment when life is busy and stressful with a new child in the family. We recognize it can be difficult to ask for help. That’s why the Thrive Guide helps pregnant people or those who have recently given birth identify a signal that can be shared with their support system to make it easier to voice, “I’m overwhelmed.” The Thrive Guide can help you feel empowered to seek the help and resources you need without the burden of spending time finding how to access that help when you might already be overwhelmed.
If you are pregnant or have recently given birth, download the Thrive Guide at thriveguide.vcu.edu.
