Our next journal club Live will be held on 20 September 2024, 11:00 – 12:00 on the topic of Social media in pregnancy.
A very common theme currently under scrutiny within perinatal care is informed choice of birthing people and ensuring that this is safeguarded. For those of us who work in an intrapartum setting, the birth plan can be an
incredibly useful tool – it can provide birthing people and their families the opportunity to express their wishes and exert a sense of control when very little can be felt, additionally it can help professionals understand those wishes in a structured way. This study interviewed birthing people, their partners and healthcare professionals about the impact that birthing plans can have on birthing experiences.
Social media is now a staple of modern living, with most people having access to sites such as Instagram or TikTok. These are now seen by many as suitable sources of information, with hundreds of accounts specifically tailored to providing information surrounding pregnancy and the perinatal period, however the impact of social media use during this time has been found to have both positive and negative responses from those engaging with them. This paper looked at social media use throughout pregnancy for both primiparous and multiparous birthing people.