PROGRAM OVERVIEW
In mid-2020, as data began emerging on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the social, emotional, and mental toll it took on women, the Center for BrainHealth and GoMo Health collaborated to provide pregnant and postpartum women with brain health tools, strategies, and techniques that are empowering, easy to understand, and that activate within the context of daily living. The goal is to maintain and improve moms’ brain health as they navigate this major life transition, with all the joys and challenges it brings. While this program is designed for pregnant and postpartum women, brain health is a priority for all genders and ages, in all phases of life — who wouldn’t want to know how to build resilience, lengthen years of cognitive robustness, and regain brain energy to maximize the potential of our most vital organ? This initial program, focused on maternal brain health, will inform other brain health programs currently under development, including those for cardiac, diabetes, oncology, and behavioral health management.
Talk to any pregnant woman and she will likely tell you it feels like there are a million things to think about during pregnancy, from remembering to take daily prenatal vitamins, to finding the right daycare provider, even down to what kind of diapers to use. Considering all that a mother is thinking about at any given moment — whether regarding herself, her child(ren), spouse, or family, it’s easy to understand how those thoughts might lead to feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious. Add the new concerns brought on by the pandemic, and the road to wellness might seem daunting to travel. The science of brain health provides an organized pathway and actionable tools for moms-to-be and new parents to better manage it all. People spend a lot of time and energy focusing on “what” to think about, but do not give enough attention towards “how” to think. This seemingly slight, yet extremely impactful, shift in perspective changes the thinking paradigm from one of psychological and even physiological overload to one of empowerment and resiliency — which is something every new and/or experienced parent could benefit from adding to their “toolkit.”
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Maternal Brain Health in an Era of a Global Pandemic
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