You and Your Baby: A National Survey of Health and Care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
You and Your Baby: A National Survey of Health and Care (Main Study)
IRAS ID
238465
Contact name
Maria Quigley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
This study is a survey of mothers and babies, their health and well-being and the care they receive around pregnancy and the postnatal period. The postnatal period is an important time of transition for mothers, babies and their families. The need to support women at this time and to improve their experiences of postnatal care has been emphasised in recent government guidelines.In England, women have only a few routine checks after having a baby and most women will have no routine checks after the first 6-8 weeks. Infants have several routine health checks in the first 6-8 weeks, after which point they are not reviewed again until an assessment at 9-12 months, except for their routine immunisations. Hence, we know very little about the health and wellbeing of mothers and their babies in the postnatal period.
Following on from previous large scale surveys that have been carried out in England by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in 2006, 2010 and 2014, we are conducting a further large national postal survey of 16,000 women, the focus of which will be on the postnatal period. Women will be asked about their own health and wellbeing, their baby’s health, and their experiences of care during the six months following birth.
Staff working at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will identify the women from a database of birth registrations and organise the mail out of the questionnaires. Women will be asked to fill in the 15-20 minute questionnaire on paper, by telephone or online. Up to two reminders will be sent by ONS to women who do not respond to the questionnaire.
The results of the survey will provide unique information, which can be used to help improve postnatal monitoring or support and can guide policies in the postnatal period.
Summary of Results
You and Your Baby: A National Survey of Health and Care was a population-based survey of 16,000 postnatal women identified by the Office for National Statistics using birth registration records. The women were aged 16 years or older, were living in England at the time the birth was registered, and had given birth to their baby in England during a two-week period in October 2017. Women were contacted via post six months after they had given birth and could respond on paper, online or by telephone.The survey asked women about their experiences during pregnancy, around the time of labour and birth, and the postnatal period. In addition to demographic and clinical details, women were asked about infant feeding, maternal and infant health, smoking and vaping, returning to work and future pregnancy plans.
In total, 4,509 (29%) women took part in the survey. Taken together, the findings suggest that there have been some positive changes in recent years in terms of infant feeding practices, smoking behaviours around the time of pregnancy and return to work patterns following childbirth. These developments continue longer-term trends which reflect changes in legislation and policy. One significant and ongoing challenge that this survey has highlighted is the need to tackle maternal mental health problems which, according to our findings, continue to affect a substantial number of women during pregnancy and for many months after childbirth.
A full report of the findings from You and Your Baby: A National Survey of Health and Care and a separate infographic summary of the key findings are available to download:
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REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0271
Date of REC Opinion
22 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion