New Moms, Other Parents Cope With Pandemic’s Mental Health Challenges

Fox News: Postpartum Mental Health Visits Up During Pandemic, Study Finds
New mothers sought mental health treatment more often during the coronavirus pandemic, a study found, with higher rates observed within three months after childbirth. Findings published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) on Monday stemmed from data on more than 137,000 postpartum mothers in Ontario, Canada. Patients under study were about 31 years old on average. Researchers affiliated with the Toronto-based Women's College Research Institute compared clinical visit rates from 2016-2020, pre-pandemic baseline rates, to data from March-November 2020 to determine any increase. (Rivas, 6/7)

The Washington Post: Masks? Vaccines? How Parents Of Newborns Should Handle Visitors In This Phase Of The Pandemic.
Bringing home a newborn is already one of the scariest and most vulnerable times for parents. Bringing one home during a pandemic creates a host of other questions, worries and risks. Opinions abound — from pediatricians, well-meaning relatives and strangers on the Internet — and many new parents remain unsure how to protect their families while enjoying a bit of post-quarantine freedom. (Frost, 6/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Helping Kids Manage Anxiety And Ease Back Into Activities This Summer
As a most unusual—and exhausting—school year winds down, families are looking at a summer of changing pandemic rules and new possibilities. For many kids, there’s excitement about camp and beach vacations. But there are a lot of questions and anxiety during this transition, too, psychologists say. “We’re seeing a lot of difficulties as we try to get kids to go back to normal,” says Eli R. Lebowitz, associate professor in the Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine. (Petersen, 6/7)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Pandemic Linked With Worse Mental Health In Teens
In a population study of 13- to 18-year-old Icelandic teens, mental health worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study late last week in The Lancet Psychiatry. The researchers analyzed 59,701 survey responses across two pre-pandemic baselines (2016, 2018) as well as during the pandemic (October 2020) and found that depressive symptoms increased and mental wellbeing worsened. The outcomes were significantly worse in girls than in boys. (6/7)

In related news —

The Washington Post: Incarcerated Moms And Newborns Will No Longer Be Separated In Minnesota
It’s hard for Raelene Baker to say which session is harder: the separation, when a new mother unwillingly gives her newborn away, or the follow-up, when she meets with that mother several days later — often the mom is still lactating, a painful physical reminder of the infant she cannot hold. As a doula who works in Minnesota jails and prisons, Baker regularly deals with these inevitable parts of the job. “It’s just really painful,” Baker said. “I look at the baby who is nursing and know that the next time that baby eats, it won’t be from his or her mother. It will be from a bottle held by someone they’ve never met, after they’ve had these two days of snuggling and cuddling.” (Ewing, 6/7)

The Wall Street Journal: New Pandemic-Era Accessory: A Bracelet That Signals Your Boundaries 
The Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce in Virginia has restarted its in-person business networking events. Handshakes, back slaps and close talkers are optional these days. Instead, attendees at the group’s events are encouraged to select a new pandemic-era accessory: brightly colored wristbands or stickers that signal whether they want others to come physically close or stay the heck away. A plastic display sign provides the code, modeled on traffic lights: Red means “no contact” with “no exceptions.” Yellow means “elbow only,” as in stick to the elbow bump, pal. As for green, the sign says: “Hugs welcome.” (Levitz, 6/7)