Becoming a parent is often portrayed as a joyful life event, yet the reality is far more complex and deeply personal. In her latest publication, Dr Simmons explores what helps families navigate this transition with confidence and resilience. It emphasises the value of listening to parents’ experiences, fostering community connections and supporting a skilled workforce. These practices are something we instil and explore in our MA Infant and Family Mental Health and Well-being programme at the University of Northampton.
It’s an interesting topic and a hugely personal one. Below is an extract from Helen’s own chapter in ‘Supporting the Transition to New Parenthood,’ which dives further into the complexities and challenges facing this all important milestone.
Public Heath England (2019) stated that ‘perinatal mental health problems affect between 10–20% of women during pregnancy and the first year after having a baby’ with this figure rising to 23.9% (Harrison et al., 2023) following the COVID-19 pandemic. With research (Burgess and Goldman, 2022) also reporting a rise in stress and anxiety for new fathers, the need to explore the factors that can be attributed to adding to these problems is essential.
Considering some of the potential risk factors that may negatively impact the transition to parenthood, including societal and socio-economic pressures, perinatal loneliness and the contradictory and highly emotive opinions on all aspects of parenthood, is an important place to begin when developing strategies and support systems to try to mitigate the impact of this. Recognising diverse family structures, dynamics and individualised journeys into parenthood, this chapter applies an ‘agent-centred approach’ that recognises uniqueness and personal experiences and does not assume or rely on ‘biological relatedness’ (Dermott and Fowler, 2020, p.4) when considering the transition to parenthood.
This chapter explores how listening to the reflections of new parents and providing meaningful and individualised support are important strategies in helping a smooth transition. This requires a highly valued, well qualified and critically reflective workforce that can work in partnership with all parents to resist and reshape dominant narratives that often position both parents and professionals as in need of surveillance, intervention and regulation.
Perinatal loneliness
Awareness of the impact of perinatal loneliness has risen in recent years, with research (Naughton-Doe, 2024) outlining many of the key individual, cultural and structural factors that may intersect and contribute to the risk of perinatal loneliness.
Recommendations for solutions to perinatal loneliness include important messages about reducing social isolation (Naughton-Doe, 2024), facilitating opportunities for interaction in the local area (Simmons, 2020), community-based resources and listening to what parents are telling us about what sort of meaningful support would be most helpful to them during this transition.
These strategies may include:
- peer support groups to provide emotional, individualised advice and a strong support network
- practical support to include recognition that the pressures of parenting intersect and are intensified by factors including socio-economic challenges
- shared experiences – opportunities to meet with other parents experiencing similar stages of parenthood
- activities in the local area that recognise ‘the importance of culturally and locally appropriate, community-based approaches’ (Urban, Gómez Muñoz and Zárate Pinto, 2024, p.1)
- listening to parents – local authorities often engage in research which aims to capture the experiences of families. It is essential, within the ethics and responsibility of research, that this research is therefore listened to and acted upon appropriately
- parent led initiatives – a flexible approach to support for parents can facilitate activities where parents lead on the content. This requires confident and experienced practitioners who can respond to the needs of families in the moment
- recognising and celebrating the richness and complexities in families, which will help with the delivery of a strengths-based approach and promote ‘inquisitive conversation’ (Celidwen, 2024, p.29)
When exploring the experiences of parents as they transition into a new phase of their lives, it is also crucial to recognise the enormous pressure on the shoulders of the practitioners that are supporting them. Particularly when considering some of the more difficult experiences of new parenthood and instances that demonstrate flaws in the systems of support, policy and provision, it can seem as though early childhood, health and social care professionals can often bear the brunt of negative perceptions within the media and wider society.
When considering support for parents, it is important to remember that often the professionals who are providing that care may themselves be parents who are facing the same turbulent times and navigating the same imposed structures, financial challenges, professional constraints, regulations and impenetrable support.
As we advocate, through initiatives such as the Early Childhood Manifesto (Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network, 2025), for a highly valued and well qualified workforce for infants and families, we must continue to advocate for true partnership working with families; for a culture of ‘co-production’ (Thompson and Simmons, 2023; Fleming and Borkett, 2023) and ‘solidarity’ (Freire, 1970, p.22).
Chapter summary
This chapter explores the experiences of parents as they transition into a new phase of their lives. This includes risk factors that can intersect and create barriers to a positive experience and smooth transition, along with strategies and recommendations to limit any negative impact. Examples from research and literature explored throughout this chapter signify the importance of creative and inclusive activities for parents that are informed through their voices, reflections and experiences. Rather than top-down, prescriptive or formulaic support, the transition to parenthood can be supported through activities that reduce isolation, increase adult interaction and facilitate opportunities to meet with other parents in the local area. Also demonstrated is the importance of empathic and autonomous practitioners who are supported to deliver initiatives with families in a way that promotes true partnership working.
Want to find out more?
You can find out more about studying Infant and Family Mental Health and Wellbeing (with Infant-Centred Specialism and Family-Centred Specialism) MA online. The next intake is September 2027.
