Optimising mental health and skills acquisition in the transition to motherhood: a meta-narrative synthesis of systematic reviews

The perinatal period can be characterized by significant joy but also stress. New mothers often struggle with demands of mothering especially in regards to infant feeding, sleeping, and crying. Infant behaviour and maternal mental health interact and influence each other in complex ways. There is considerable confusion about how to best support mothers to manage infant behaviour and maintain their own mental health. We plan to conduct a meta-narrative analysis of systematic reviews on effective interventions for optimising mental health and skills acquisition in the transition to motherhood. We will include interventions applied during the antenatal period and the first year after birth (post-natal).