More women going online for childbirth support —study

Pregnancy is certainly a roller coaster of emotions for mums-to-be, but sadly, the journey from conception to birth ends all-too soon for some. Approximately 15 percent of recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage in the United States, and another 1 percent end in stillbirth. So how do these grieving individuals cope?

A new study in Elsevier’s Women’s Health Issues reveals many women are turning to the Internet, seeking comfort, information and convenience via online pregnancy support groups.

The study sheds new light on who is visiting these sites, their usage patterns and perceived benefits. More than 1,000 online surveys were completed, with links to the questionnaire featured on 18 different message boards catering to women who had suffered a stillbirth or miscarriage.

Results revealed that respondents were overwhelmingly white, well-educated, and well-insured. More than half of the losses reported (54 percent) were stillbirths or losses after 20 weeks gestation age. The other 46 percent were miscarriages or losses before 20 weeks.

Most women reported posting on the board frequently (53 percent once a week or more), and all generally expressed satisfaction with the pregnancy loss boards in terms of learning new information.

In fact, 89 percent agreed or strongly agreed a professional health worker should participate on the boards, and 86 percent felt similarly about a mental health professional participating to help moderate and facilitate discussions.

Additionally, various themes emerged that revealed the boards provided a forum in which women saw they were “not alone,” and that their grief reactions were normal. They also appreciated the physical ease of being able to use the Internet anytime, since physical support groups often meet just once or twice a month.

Together, this data suggests there is the potential to use on-line support as part of a structured perinatal grief bereavement program. As several women noted, there is a comfort with the message boards because people cannot see you when you cry and get upset.

“I like the fact that you can talk without the pitying stares one can get face-to-face,” one comment said.

In conclusion, Internet message boards offer an attractive source of free, anonymous, and immediate peer-support and feedback for bereaved parents. — Newsbytes.ph