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mbcp research
  • Increased positive affect

  • Increased childbirth self-efficacy

  • Increased mindfulness

  • Decreased anxiety

  • Decreased stress

  • Decreased fear of childbirth

  • Decreased pain catastrophizing

  • Decreased depression (including postpartum)

  • Decreased use of non-urgent interventions during labor

  • Increased likelihood of unmedicated birth

  • Changes to the brain's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function

  • Better partner psychological well-being

  • Higher newborn APGAR scores 1-minute after birth

  • Better maternal-fetal attachment

  • Better infant social-emotional development at 3 months of age than other childbirth education courses

  • Better infant resilience at 6 months of age

initial findings
MBCP Research
Publications

professional publications & peer-reviewed articles

MIndfulness Based Treatment Approaches
The Centering Pregnancy Model
Journal of Child and Family Studies
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
Birth and Parent Education
Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health
British Journal of Medicine

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  1. 2009: “Mindfulness approaches to childbirth and parenting” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  2. 2009:  “A Model of Mindful Parenting: Implications for Parent–Child Relationships and Prevention Research.” in the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review

  3. 2010: “Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Education (MBCP): Promoting Family Mindfulness During the Perinatal Period” in the Journal of Child and Family Studies

  4. 2012: “A mindfulness approach to antenatal preparation” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  5. 2013: “Mindfulness in maternity” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  6. 2014: “Mind in labor: Effects of mind/body training on childbirth appraisals and pain medication use during labor” [abstract] in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

  7. 2015: “Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP): Innovation in birth preparation to support healthy, happy families” in the International Journal of Birth & Parent Education

  8. 2016: “Mindfulness in Maternity: Evaluation of a Course for Midwives” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  9. 2016: “‘I’ve Changed My Mind,’ Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) for pregnant women with a high level of fear of childbirth and their partners: study protocol of the quasi-experimental controlled trial” in BMC Psychiatry

  10. 2017: “CenteringPregnancy With Mindfulness Skills: Enhancing the Thread of Presence” in The CenteringPregnancy® Model (pp. 188-202)

  11. 2017: “Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison” in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  12. 2018: “Experiences of Postpartum Women after Mindfulness Childbirth Classes: A Qualitative Study” in Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health

  13. 2018: “What is learned from Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting Education? – Participants’ experiences” in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  14. 2018: "An evaluation of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting courses for pregnant women and prospective fathers/partners within the UK NHS (MBCP-4-NHS) Midwifery 64-10" in the National Library of Medicine.

  15. 2019: "A mindfulness and compassion-based program applied to pregnant women and their partners to decrease depression symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial" in the National Library of Medicine.

  16. 2019: "Mindfulness-based programme on the psychological health of pregnant women" in Women and Birth

  17. 2020: "Effects of a mindfulness based childbirth and parenting program on pregnant women's perceived stress and risk of perinatal depression: results from a randomized controlled trial" in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

  18. 2020: "Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting: Preparing a new generation for childbirth and beyond" in Handbook of Mindfulness-Based Programmes

  19. 2020: "Effects of prenatal mindfulness-based childbirth education on child-bearers’ trajectories of distress: a randomized control trial" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  20. 2020: "Effects of a mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting program on maternal-fetal attachment: A randomized controlled trial among Iranian pregnant women" in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice

  21. 2021: "Long-term effects of a Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program: A randomized controlled trial" in Mindfulness

  22. 2021: "Exploring the effects of Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting on infant social-emotional development" in Mindfulness

  23. 2021: "Fear of childbirth, nonurgent obstetric interventions, and newborn outcomes: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting with enhanced care as usual" in Birth Issues in Perinatal Care

  24. 2021: "Assessing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs on mental health during pregnancy and early motherhood - a randomized control trial" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  25. 2021: "Mindfulness in Pregnancy: A Brief Intervention for Women at Risk" in Maternal and Child Health Journal

  26. 2022: "Long-term effects of a prenatal mindfulness intervention on depressive symptoms in a diverse sample of women" in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

  27. 2022: "Applying Mindfulness Techniques to the Management of Depressive Tendencies in Women in Taiwan in the Perinatal Period: A Qualitative Study" in Asian Nursing Research

  28. 2022: "Mindful awareness as a mechanism of change for natural childbirth in pregnant women with high fear of childbirth: a randomised controlled trial" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  29. 2023: "Mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting for pregnant women with high fear of childbirth and their partners: outcomes of a randomized controlled trial assessing short- and longer-term effects on psychological well-being, birth and pregnancy experience" in Midwifery

  30. 2023: "Effects of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) Program Among Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial" in Mindfulness

  31. 2023: "Effectiveness of mindfulness training on pregnancy stress and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in women in China: A multicenter randomized controlled trial" in Frontiers in Psychology

  32. 2023: "Cost-Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program for Pregnant Women With Fear of Childbirth" in Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

  33. 2023: "Mindfulness in Pregnancy, Childbirth and Parenting" in E-Journal of Dokuz Eylul University Nursing Faculty.
  34. 2025: "The effects of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program (MBCP) on prenatal attachment, depression, stress, and anxiety in pregnant women: A randomized controlled trial" in Journal of Affective Disorders.

  35. 2024: "Cost-Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program for Pregnant Women With Fear of Childbirth" in Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

  36. 2024: "The effect of mindfulness-based childbirth education intervention on fear of childbirth: systematic review and meta-analysis." in Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira.

  37. 2024: "The effect of mindfulness-based counselling on the anxiety levels and childbirth satisfaction among primiparous pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.

  38. 2024: "Mindfulness-based interventions during pregnancy and long-term effects on postpartum depression and maternal mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials" in Journal of integrative and Complementary Medicine,

  39. 2024: "Enhancing Prenatal Group Medical Visits with Mindfulness Skills: A Pragmatic Trial with Latina and BIPOC Pregnant Women Experiencing Multiple Forms of Structural Inequity" in Mindfulness

  40. 2025: "The effects of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program (MBCP) on prenatal attachment, depression, stress, and anxiety in pregnant women: A randomized controlled trial in "Journal of Affective Disorders".

  41. 2025: "The relational dimension in mindfulness intervention effects: results of a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth,

  42. 2026: "Impact of maternal baseline depressive symptoms in modulating the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting program’s efficacy: An Individual Participant Data Review
    Article Sidebar" in 2026: EAMSC 2026 Nepal Abstract Book

  43. 2026: Mindfulness-Based Programs for Perinatal Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Psychological Well-Being: A Systematic Meta-Review in Mindfulness

Affiliates
Research AFFILIATEs
Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Penn State
Universiteit van Amsterdam
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Oxford Mindfulness Centre
UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
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