What parents want to know in the first postnatal year: A Delphi consensus study

Early postnatal psychoeducation intervention programmes can support new parents in the adjustment to parenthood. However, most psychoeducation programmes focus on pregnancy and the birth and fail to deliver relevant and age-specific information to new parents about what to expect in the postpartum period. Learning more about this intense period in a new parent's life will facilitate a healthy transition to parenthood. Considering the needs of time-poor but tech-savvy new parents, it is also necessary to rethink the delivery methods of such information to maximize impact.

Two panels of experts in perinatal mental health (eight professionals and eight parents with lived experience) participated in a Delphi consensus study to establish what topics of information are most important for parents in the first postnatal year.

A total of 89 topics of information were endorsed by at least 80% of both panels as Essential or Good to Know information for new parents. The topics were grouped under the following themes: sleep, attachment, co-parenting, parental mental health, developmental milestones, feeding, social and community support, safety and health.

This study established consensus between perinatal experts and parents with lived experience in order to produce relevant m-health psychoeducation for parents in the first postnatal year. The study findings will inform the development of perinatal m-health psychoeducation programmes.