Creating Connections : The Power of Group Care Programs
This blog post was written by Dr. Jan Ooi, a Family Physician and Low Risk Obstetrics Provider. (3min read)
Dr. Ooi has two decades of experience providing prenatal care, including spearheading a group prenatal care program in her practice in 2017. Since then she has facilitated dozens of groups, and witnessed firsthand the benefits of group care. At Ensemble Healthcare she is using this experience to develop postpartum group care programs. Click here to learn more about our programs and register.
Back in 2017 I developed a model of antenatal group care for patients in my practice. We started out in person, and veered to virtual with the pandemic. The experiences I had with this program were eye-opening and rewarding. I loved having more time to connect with patients, and being able to provide them with a place to ask allll their questions, and meet other pregnant women. With the opening of Ensemble, I made the decision to turn my attention to postpartum group care. I see such a need for education and community for families as they navigate life with a newborn. Let me tell you a little bit about our ‘WHY’ with our Postpartum Group Support Programs.
THE BENEFITS OF GROUP CARE IN PREGNANCY
Models of group prenatal care, such as Centering Pregnancy, are pretty well established, and have shown significant benefits for participants. Studies demonstrate:
increased participant satisfaction with their care
lower rates of preterm birth
increased breastfeeding rates, and
improvements in symptoms for depression, stress and anxiety
A 2019 paper in the journal Women & Birth described patients’ experiences with antenatal group care and demonstrated benefits such as:
an improved woman-provider experience
enhanced self-care and empowerment
enhanced learning about health behaviours
enriched networks of relationships, and
increased social support
THE EVIDENCE FOR GROUP CARE IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD
While there are far fewer established models of postpartum group care, a 2017 paper in Academic Pediatrics recounts the benefits a team in Baltimore found when they implemented a Centering Parenting group model of care, including:
Participants were enthusiastic about the opportunity to spend time in a supportive environment with other mothers.
A first-time mother further described how learning in a group might prompt participants to hear answers to questions they might be uncomfortable posing to the clinician on their own.
Parents felt similarly empowered by the opportunity to teach and learn from others in the group.
Although mothers embraced the idea of learning from each other, they also valued increased time with the clinician expert.
Many participants from all groups considered attention to maternal wellness a benefit of the model.
THE POWER OF POSTPARTUM GROUP CARE AT ENSEMBLE
After reading the evidence, and reflecting on the struggles we often see our patients face in the postpartum period, we felt compelled to develop a model of postpartum group care, and here are the benefits that we are hoping to see with our programs:
Enhanced care and education
We see our group care programs as an important add-on to the individualized care participants receive in traditional one-on-one appointments. We aim to provide an opportunity for parents to dive deeper into topics, sharing information and insights with their peers and caregivers.
Accessibility
By offering regular sessions we provide support and care when parents need it the most. Our Newborn Support Series is structured to allow participants to join on a rolling basis, either as soon as their baby is born, or as soon as they enroll in their baby’s first month. We understand the importance of timely support in those first few weeks when parents are adjusting to life with a newborn. We cycle through discussion topics so that each participant engages with all the material, regardless of when they join the group.
Efficiency
Our group sessions are engaging from start to finish - our participants don’t spend time waiting for an appointment to start, and any lull in activity can be spent chatting with other parents. As care providers we love the efficiency of providing group care. As one practitioner puts it: “Rather than spending one minute with ten different patients explaining a concept, I can spend ten minutes with a group of patients discussing the topic more in depth.”
Building community
Many parents find the postpartum period to be a very isolating time. Our groups are meant to provide a safe place for them to venture out of their homes and connect with other families in the same stage of life. We want our parents to know that they can show up late, with spit-up stains on their shirt, and a crying baby, and they will be welcomed with a knowing smile and a warm embrace.
As care providers, we find it so gratifying to see participants support and teach each other. When a parent expresses frustration about something they are struggling with and hears another participant chime in to say that they have been through the same thing, we can often visibly see the positive impact it has, pulling the parent out of their isolation, and helping them to feel heard and supported. We love those moments!
Building confidence
Our sessions are not lectures; we understand that there is only so much information that you can take in when you’re tired and distracted with baby care. We follow a facilitative leadership, rather than a didactic education, approach. This means that our facilitators encourage participants to take part in and lead the discussion as much, or as little, as they feel comfortable doing so. We welcome questions and discussion, because we want to address the issues that are important to our parents, knowing that you are more likely to remember the information if you are part of a discussion that is relevant to your needs.
We are excited to welcome families to our group support programs! You can click to learn more and register
