Baby Makes 3 delivering mental health and wellbeing benefits

The mental health and wellbeing of Australia’s new and expectant mothers has been steadily deteriorating for the last two decades. This decline has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing impacts. Unfortunately, and in some cases tragically, this has resulted in a damaging ‘perfect storm’ for the mental health and wellbeing of new parents.

Women, especially birthing mothers, are more likely to experience good mental health and wellbeing as parents if they are in an equal and supportive relationship where each partner co-parents their child, and they are each able to retain their connections with family and friends, pursue their interests, and participate in the workforce. By contrast mothers who experience a lack of support, or who carry an unequal burden of caring and household tasks and the ‘mental load’ associated with these activities, are at increased risk of experiencing parenting stress and perinatal depression and/or anxiety conditions.

Improving the ways that couples communicate, relate to each other, support each other and co-parent brings significant mental health and wellbeing benefits for mothers, fathers and other non-birthing parents, their children, health services and the community. This is Baby Makes 3’s core focus.

This resource details Baby Makes 3 as a critical initiative that positively impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of the diversity of families.

View the resource here: Improving the mental health and wellbeing of first-time parents and their children by fostering equal and respectful relationships, and collaborative co-parenting

About Baby Makes 3

healthAbility’s Baby Makes 3 is an evidenced-based, education and social change initiative to build gender equality. As a health promotion intervention, Baby Makes 3 shapes long-term attitudes and social norms about parenting by challenging traditional gendered expectations of becoming a parent.

It builds mutual understanding, appreciation and respect among first-time parents as well, as the capacity of antenatal and postnatal services’ staff, structures and systems to promote gender equality by examining the gendered expectations of becoming a parent.

Are you a perinatal professional interested in supporting families to thrive by strengthening gender equality? Find out more on the Baby Makes 3 page or email babymakes3@healthability.org.au.