Mental-health concerns prevalent during pregnancy in Brantford-Brant
Risk factors higher in the area than rest of province, according to a recent report
Pregnant people in Brantford-Brant face higher risk factors than others in the province related to their pregnancies, according to a new report from Brant County Health Unit (BCHU).
Released in March, a report titled Reproductive and Maternal Health: Current Status and Trends in Brant found that in 2022 around 35 per cent of pregnant women in Brantford-Brant experienced one or more mental-health concerns during pregnancy, compared with around 22 per cent provincially.
Locals were also more likely to be considered “overweight” or “obese” and to smoke during pregnancy, and less likely to attend prenatal education and exclusively breastfeed, the report found.
The data that led to these findings was self-reported between 2017 and 2022, and sourced from the Better Outcomes Registry and Network. There were an average of 1,421 reported births in Brant for each of those years.
Dr. Anne Powell, a physician, obstetrician and gynecologist at Brantford General Hospital, told The Spectator the findings seemed to align with her observations, which include “a large number of women” going into pregnancy with pre-existing anxiety, depression or other mental-health disorders. The reason for this, she said, isn’t clear.
Brant has a higher percentage of women having children at a younger age.
The report found women under 25 in Brant were more likely to smoke and have mental-health concerns during pregnancy, and have lower intentions of exclusively breastfeeding, compared with other pregnant age groups locally and pregnant people provincewide.
In general, mental-health concerns during pregnancy could be related to “low social supports, low income levels, extreme stress, and/ or a history of trauma,” said TerriLynn Ovens, manager of healthy growth and development and healthy schools for BCHU.
Still, it’s good for care providers to be aware of, so they can “spend a little more time inquiring about it and ensuring that pregnant people are aware of resources in the community, both for crisis and in terms of regular management,” Powell said.
Ryan Spiteri, manager of communications for BCHU, said the health unit has — and will continue to — allocate community education resources to mental health, smoking cessation and prenatal education.
“We will also continue to work with our local and provincial system partners to find new and innovative ways to address these issues,” he said.