Purpose: Perinatal distress, especially depression, commonly occurs during pregnancy and the first year
postpartum, but this medical condition are often undiagnosed and untreated. The present study explored
how women with depressive symptoms during the perinatal period who had participated in a mindfulness
course applied the training and perceived its effects.
Methods: This descriptive qualitative study included 16 women with probable perinatal depression who
had participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting program during their pregnancy
and agreed to be interviewed. One-to-one in-depth interviews were conducted and recorded
following the completion of the mindfulness course, approximately 1 month after childbirth. Verbatim
transcripts were analyzed using content analysis.
Results: We proposed three themes and six subthemes relating to first-time mothers’ experiences during
and after the group mindfulness-based intervention: learning to be aware of the body and mind (confronting
awareness of physical change, managing negative feelings differently), building positive family
relationships (strengthening the motherebaby bond, developing a satisfactory marital partnership), and
overcoming ongoing challenges (conquering childbirth pain with confidence, accepting unexpected
situations). Three main themes were generated to demonstrate how women experience the effects of
mindfulness training.
Conclusions: Mindfulness-based interventions helped the participants develop insight into their mood
and physical changes and accept their childbirth process. Therefore, mindfulness education programs can
be incorporated into prenatal care to enhance the management of the depressive symptoms of perinatal
women.