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Running head: UNIT 9 FINAL PROJECT

HW410

Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Unit 9 Final Project

Amanda Carter

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

August 11, 2020

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Stress Management and Prevention Program

Introduction (What is the population? Why did you choose it?)

Stress management and prevention are important to incorporate into our daily lives.

Without prior knowledge of how to do this, it becomes overwhelming and even more stressful

to implement. One group of people who have a lot on their plate are new mothers. These

women often struggle to take care of their babies or newly adopted children, at least in their

minds, as well as themselves. New mothers’ focus is solely on their newborn or newly

adopted child, while it should also be on them. Postpartum health is an important stage in life

that could benefit from extra stress management and preventative programs.

Explain 10 stressors of this population?

While there are an endless number of stressors experienced by new mothers, the new baby or

adopted child could be viewed as a main stressor. Since a newborn is not self-sufficient, they require a

lot of time and demand on the new mother. The baby is dependent for feedings, diaper changes, love

and affection, and even getting to sleep. This is hard on the new mother and can cause stress when the

new mother does not receive help in one form or another. New mothers or adoptive parents need a

break from the constant need a baby requires.

With the extra time, effort, and energy expended on the new baby or adopted child, many

times other relationships suffer. The pressure to please more than one person can cause additional

stress on the new mother. Taking dedicated time for date night can be crucial in maintaining a

marriage (Wright, 2008). By having an intentional plan on how to maintain the marriage and

relationship, this can alleviate some of the stress associated with the relationship. Having something

scheduled regularly also gives the parents something to look forward to.
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Becoming pregnant can cause a lot of stress. Some of the concerns with pregnancy and

newborns is that it can affect a new mother’s job. One concern is whether or not the job can be done

during pregnancy or whether the mother-to-be needs to take extra time off. Most jobs can be done up

until right before birth, but sometimes physical labor jobs require extra time off due to the demands of

the job. One stressor this provides is whether or not the job will still be there when they can return.

Another concern is how long the new mother is able to take for maternity leave, and whether or not

the company provides that time. Another stressor this provides is how much paid time can they take.

While some companies allow for twelve weeks, some may allow for even longer. One way to combat

these stressors is to make a plan before trying to get pregnant. These are stressors to take into

consideration before, so that the new mother can plan and be prepared for the situation.

Finances provide a lot of stress on everyone. Everything takes money and oftentimes families

do not make enough money to offset the cost of a new baby. There are many different situations to

take into consideration but having children is expensive; the hospital bills and the supplies for a new

baby can add up quickly. Not only that, but the new parents have added expenses of diapers and

sometimes formula. This can cause stress in a new mother because of a lack of funds. Sometimes, new

mothers need to return to work and then they need to find someone to watch their child, which then

costs more money and could increase stress levels in order to provide these necessities for their child

(Scott, 2020).

The time demands of everyday tasks add up. When a new mother adds a newborn or adopted

child to the mix, time for everyday things like cleaning, laundry, house updates, shopping, and other

routine tasks get put on hold. For some, this is not a big issue, but if a new mother is used to order and

cleanliness, this can pose a reason for added stress. Since the new mother is often busy with the baby,

they struggle to find time to work on those routine tasks, leaving the house cluttered, dirty, and
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disorganized; this can stress out the new mother as well as put a strain on their relationships with their

significant others.

Between the bodily stress of making a baby and after delivery, the new mother is tired and

exhausted. Not getting the proper amount of sleep and always having something to do can provide

physical stress on a new mother. This leaves a lack of energy for things that the new mother may want

to do. For instance, new mothers need social interaction with people other than their significant other

and their new baby. This is good for their mental health along with providing an outlet for stress relief.

Another example that a new mother may want to do is go out for a short amount of time, but they may

not want to leave their new baby for long. In addition to that, some new mothers want to work out, but

they lack the energy to do so. This can lead to stress for them as they struggle to feed the needs of their

desires.

Part of the struggle of a postpartum body is that many mothers want to get back to normal.

They struggle with accepting that it will take time to get back to normal, and ultimately it is not what

is the most important thing right after giving birth. This can cause stress on a mother mentally and

physically. The stress of wanting something and not being able to make it happen can be

overwhelming for some. The best new mothers can do is maintain activity throughout their daily

activities and find ways to incorporate small bouts of exercise into their lives. This may help them

start to lose a bit of baby weight while still taking it slow and losing weight in a healthy manner.

Mothers of all experience struggle with the stress of not having enough time for themselves;

this can start to become a burden the longer it is ignored. This is a result of the focus being on the baby

or other children before even considering taking time for themselves. An important factor for a new

mother’s psychological health is to find time to do something that they want to. Taking “me” time is
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important as it helps the new mother step back, relax, breathe, and enjoy something just for them; it is

a time to rejuvenate so they can continue to take care of their little one.

Just like a lack of time is stressful, finding time to cook and make healthy meals can be

stressful as well. When first getting home from the hospital, it is important to have a community,

family, and friends that will help provide meals and groceries. This is a social system that can help

support their family and relieve some of the unneeded stress at that specific time. Even after the initial

settling stage, a new mother must understand that is okay to ask their social support system for help.

Taking away this unnecessary stress is important for a new mother.

Many times, new mothers would love to go to the store without having to stress about whether

or not she will make it through the store without the baby crying or needing to eat. Having someone in

place to watch the baby for just a bit while a new mother goes to the store or out for a while with some

friends is important. This can relieve stress for the new mother knowing that she has the support and

opportunity to get away and breathe for a moment. This can help rejuvenate the new mother and

coming back home is a blessing.

Why are these stressors important to consider for this population?

These stressors are definitely important to consider for new mothers. New situations

often bring their own amount of stress, but when it involves being in charge of another human

being, especially one that is completely dependent on the mother, the levels of stress increase.

A continuation of stress can lead to health problems, immediately or farther down the road,

along with postpartum depression. For the health of the new mother and the child involved, it

is important for the mother to find ways of relieving their stress that works for them. It may

take some trial and error but finding methods that work will be worth the experience.

Describe at least three (3) stress management/mindfulness techniques and their benefits.
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The STOP method is a mindful meditation technique used to stop, take a breath, observe,

and proceed at various moments throughout the day (Stahl & Goldstein, 2019). This technique

can be done anywhere and at any time, usually multiple times a day. The main benefit of this

method is an increased awareness of what is going on around you and how you react to those

situations (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, n.d.). As a new mother learns the STOP technique,

they become more aware of their emotions and reactions to different stressors in their lives. This

allows them to find ways to express their emotions in a healthy manner and address the situation

at hand.

Diaphragmatic breathing is another mindfulness technique that would be beneficial for

new mothers. Diaphragmatic breathing is focused and controlled deep breathing (Seaward,

2018). During diaphragmatic breathing, the focus is on breathing from the stomach rather than

the chest (Seaward, 2018). Some of the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing are that it lowers

stress hormone response, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, improves symptoms associated

with post-traumatic stress disorder, improves core muscle stability, slows breathing, relaxes the

body, and most importantly, reduces stress (Jewell, 2018).

Mindful walking meditation is another mindfulness technique that would be beneficial

for new mothers. In fact, it can be done along with a stroller or carrier, making it possible to do

with the baby in tow. The main goal of mindful walking is to pay attention to the manner in

which you are walking, disregarding a specific destination or speed while walking (Clark-Jones,

2014). By walking slowly and paying close attention to how your feet move against the

pavement, you allow your brain to focus on something in the moment. Once you have learned

how to observe what your body is doing then you can move on to observing what is going on

around you. Some of the health benefits of mindful walking are a reduction in blood pressure and
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heart rate, improved mood and sleep, a feeling of overall wellbeing, and better management of

stress (Clark-Jones, 2014).

How would you implement this program?

There are many ways to implement a stress management and prevention program. For the

purpose of this program, it would be beneficial to incorporate this program in places that the new

mother will be anyways; it would save time and be a productive use of time to implement this

program in those places. For example, while a regular check up at the pediatrician is usually

focused on the child, it could be used as a small check in with the new mother as well. When the

new mother checks in with her doctor, they can also check in on the new mother with similar

questions. The results or summary of the conversation can then be uploaded into their files so

that they can later compare the answers or other doctors have the ability to see it and expand on

the situation.

What obstacles could you face and how would you overcome them?

There are a couple of obstacles that could easily present themselves. The first obstacle

would be that doctors would not be willing to work with or alongside each other. Some doctors

may feel that it is either the pediatrician’s, the gynecologist’s, or the general practitioner’s job or

responsibility to follow up with the new mother. This would lead to them not following up and

hoping that someone else will do it. This could lead to the new mother falling through the cracks

between all the doctors and end up with little to no extra follow up care.

Another obstacle that could present itself is the mother not telling the full truth.

Sometimes, mothers feel they are doing a bad job or are not cut out for motherhood and many

times they need to be reassured that they are doing a good job. This can lead to providing only
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half answers to the doctors’ questions. Without the new mother being truthful, it is hard for the

doctor to truly gage how the mother is doing.

Identify at least two (2) types of health professionals that could support this program.

Doctors working together is something that can benefit many people. This can be

especially true for new mothers. As new mothers take their babies in for a routine checkup at the

pediatrician, the pediatrician can ask a set of questions to also gage how the mother is doing; this

could pose as a mother and baby visit. This could be the same with the mother’s general

practitioner. The mother’s gynecologist should also check in with the mother at certain time

frames after birth. This allows the gynecologist to gage and assess how the mother is going in a

variety of different ways.

How would the success of this program be measured?

The measurement of a program can be difficult, especially when what is being

measured is not physical or easily seen. In order to measure the success of this program, it is

important to survey two sets of new mothers, a set of new mothers that have not followed the

program and a set of new mothers that have followed the program. For the new mothers that

have not followed the program, they would receive a survey during pregnancy, after birth, six

months after birth, and a year after birth. These surveys will gage how they currently deal

with stress and if anything has changed since having a baby. For the new mothers that have

followed the program, they would receive the same surveys at the same time increments. The

results can then be compared. With these results, the program can be altered to be made more

effective for future new mothers.

Summary (Concluding Thoughts)

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The importance of stress management and prevention cannot be expressed more. While

some people are able to relieve their stress without help, the majority of people struggle to do

this on their own. With all of the new things going on in a new mother’s life, it would be easy

for them to become overwhelmed and struggle. The implementation of a stress management

and prevention program is important in how they handle day to day stressors.
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References

Clark-Jones, T. (2014, June 23). Stress less with mindful walking. Michigan State University.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/stress_less_with_mindful_walking#:~:text=whenever

%20you%20wish.-,Mindful%20walking%20has%20many%20benefits.,improve

%20mood%20and%20manage%20stress.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. (n.d.). Mindfulness STOP skill.

http://cogbtherapy.com/mindfulness-meditation-blog/mindfulness-stop-skill

Scott, E. (2020, May 9). Common causes of stress for mothers. Verywell Family.

https://www.verywellfamily.com/common-causes-of-stress-for-mothers-3144845

Jewell, T. (2018, September 25). What is diaphragmatic breathing? Healthline.

https://www.healthline.com/health/diaphragmatic-breathing

Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (9th

ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook (2nd ed.).

New Harbinger Publications.

Wright, S. (2008). 25 ways to handle the stress of a new baby. WebMD.

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/25-ways-to-handle-the-stress-of-a-new-

baby#2