How the Pandemic Impacted Motherhood

The current COVID-19 pandemic has seriously disrupted the world and the way we live our lives. As we near Mother’s Day 2021 it is time to look back at how the pandemic impacted motherhood in this Mother’s Day special research article.

While all segments of society suffered as a whole, mothers experienced worryingly high levels of physical and mental distress due to the complications of the pandemic and the measures that resulted because of it.

One of the major contributing factors to the distress mothers went through was the psychological impact of being socially distant from friends, family, and their support systems. Research from the United Kingdom has revealed that over 61 percent of all new mothers met the criteria for anxiety at a clinical level. This was a stark increase over the 15 percent of mothers that were previously found suffering from depression and anxiety after birth.

It has already been well established through research that the early postnatal period can leave women vulnerable to depression and anxiety. But, the stresses and the complications of the pandemic made this anxiety shoot beyond control and reach uncontrollable heights.

Throughout the course of the pandemic, mothers had to live with reduced social support from their friends and family and even had to go through stress-inducing isolation periods that wreaked havoc on their mental health.

Besides the psychological impact of the pandemic, there was also the economic repercussion that women had to go through as single mothers in this already complicated economy.

How the Pandemic Impacted Motherhood: Economic She-cession

The recession that resulted due to the pandemic has further increased the global gender gaps in labour and employment participation by over two percentage points in most countries. While single women have covered the distance in the last few months, mothers with children are still suffering the brunt of this economic downturn that many have touted as a ‘she-cession’.

Most mothers had to stop working due to the closure of school and day-care centres. Children were no longer being looked after by other caregivers and mothers had to be present as primary guardians. As we discusseed,  how the pandemic impacted motherhood This meant that a lot of mothers, especially that parenting alone, had to go through periods of extreme recession, having left their jobs to look after the kids.

With widespread vaccination in Canada, the United States, and neighbouring countries the economy is starting to repair itself. Schools are reopening around us and mothers are looking for opportunities. This does relieve some of the pressure on mothers and opens the door for them to re-enter the job market in the roles they previously managed. But, will the mental and physical exhaustion of the pandemic ever leave moms?

Protecting Maternal Wellbeing

The research work conducted in the developed world during the last few months, coupled with the recent surge in clinical anxiety being diagnosed in new moms, has led us to a crisis that requires urgent attention world over. High rates of depression and anxiety in mothers have been found across most developed countries, as humans were subjected to economic and social stagnation.

However, perhaps the most startling finding during recent times would be that over 80 percent of women did not feel any differently about their relationship with their baby, due to the pandemic, or even due to their rising anxiety levels. Despite all the restrictions and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, motherhood has trumped all odds as the mother-infant relationship remains stable and intact. Motherhood has won and it is indeed a reason for us to rejoice in these gloomy times.

Motherhood’s victory over the complications of the pandemic gives us an even better reason to celebrate Mother’s Day this year. Out of all pandemic Mother’s Day gifts, the perfect one would be a visit to a massage therapy centre for a relaxing massage that helps you recover from the mental and physical exertion of motherhood during pandemics.

Mother’s Day 2021 is right around the corner and it is time mothers gave themselves some much-needed love in the form of a massage. We at Achieve Physiotherapy and Rehab offer quality ‘me’ time to mothers as a way to recover from the pressures of the last couple of years. Our soothing massage will make all your moms feel rejuvenated and relaxed this Mother’s Day.