Pathways - Spring 2012

simple, subtle pleasures of life as a mom—the way the
light shines on your little one’s fuzzy head, or the grasp
of his hand on your finger—no matter what else may be
going on.”
As Pathways readers know, optimal wellness begins
pre-conception. Echoing this vitalistic principle, Dr.
Vieten’s mindful mothering research reveals that the
benefits to mother and baby increase the earlier the
practice is begun.

“A large body of evidence in both animal and human
studies indicates that stress and mood disturbance expe-
rienced during pregnancy increases the risk for preterm
birth, low birth weight and other pregnancy-related
complications, and may adversely affect the developing
fetus,” explained Vieten. “Postnatal mood disturbance
can interfere with attachment, quality of mother-infant
interactions, healthy parenting behaviors, and child
development. While a wealth of evidence supports all
these facts, surprisingly little information is available to
women and clinicians for reducing stress and improving
mood in pregnancy and postpartum.”
Audience members at the conference found the
information and presentations exciting and “unique.”
Michael Chase, the sole male participant, said of Jeanne
Ohm’s high-energy presentation, “This is worth the price
of admission alone!”
“Jeanne was very insightful. She’s really made a busi-
ness to educate people about birth and how it is meant
and supposed to be. She has a great perspective,” he
said. “I thought it was interesting to hear what women
are thinking during pregnancy and birth. As a man, I
am exempt from all of that.” But Chase, who is a talent
acquisition specialist for Goodwill Industries during the
day and a personal chef for the elderly by night, said he
was now more prepared for his future, which included
getting married in 2012.

Janae Shields, M.S. W., the green initiatives coordinator for Goodwill Industries, attended the conference with ten single mothers sponsored by GWI. Shields, who runs the Beyond Jobs program at the Goodwill Center in the Bronx, wanted to expose the mothers to the idea of mindful mothering.

“I actually think it is a great thing to share with moth-
ers,” she said. “I was already familiar with the practice
of mindfulness. It was my hope that the moms there
would find what they need. A lot of people we help are
in survival mode and just trying to get food on the table,
and don’t get to enjoy mothering. I was hoping that they
would find something to help them manage their stress
a little bit better as they manage their children.”
In a post-conference discussion, Shields said, “Every-
one said they wished they knew about mindful mother-
ing before they had their kids, not after they were five
years old, or more. My daughter is four years old, and my
son is ten months, and that was a completely different

“There were also Trends Toward reduced symp Toms of depression and increased posi Tive emoTion.

The women in our courses were
from all walks of life, and mos T
found i T an enriching experience.”
—dr. cassandra vie Ten

experience, with paying attention to my son consciously instead of just getting through. It was much more of a struggle with my daughter.

“All of the mothers who attended the conference with
us said they wished more people knew about mindful
mothering,” Shields said. “How do we bring other people
to this? That was our underlying thought.”
In the coming months, the online Mindful Mother-
hood program will be available to professionals and
parents alike. The book and program is based on a
three-year intervention development project at the
California Pacific Medical Center’s Research Institute.
The study showed that participating in the eight-week
program reduced negative effects and anxiety during
pregnancy, and held the promise of reducing depression
and increasing positive emotion through pregnancy into
the postpartum period.

“This pilot study showed that it was possible to learn
mindful awareness during pregnancy and early moth-
erhood (even with baby in tow!), and that women who
engaged in mindfulness training during pregnancy had
fewer negative emotions and anxiety during pregnancy
compared to women who did not participate in the
training,” said Vieten. “There were also trends toward
reduced symptoms of depression and increased positive
emotion. The women in our courses were from all walks
of life, and most found it an enriching experience.”
The first-ever Mindful Mothering Conference brought
together activists whose life’s work expands on and demon-
strates the possibilities for wellness through mindfulness
in pregnancy, birth, motherhood and conscious parenting.

Presenters at the conference included Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D., who is a licensed clinical psychologist, and director of research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS); co-director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Group at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco; and co-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology.