Assessing the Impact of Mount Sinai Parenting Center's Newborn Class

The important role positive parenting plays in promoting a child's developmental trajectory has led to the design and implementation of many postpartum education initiatives. With 99% of babies in the U.S. born in hospitals, there is a uniqueness of being in the hospital for an extended period of time with the opportunity to educate parents on the importance of promoting early development. Pediatricians are uniquely well-positioned to address both medical and developmental concerns parents may have during critical periods in a child's development, yet very few interventions are led by pediatricians. The Mount Sinai Parenting Center designed the Newborn Parent Education and Discharge Class (hereafter referred to as Newborn Class) to address this issue. The class is 1-hour long and taught be pediatric attending and residents to all families who deliver well babies at Mount Sinai. The class aims to educate parents about medical issues, responsive parenting, and sleep. It is currently taught every Tuesdays and Thursdays. Because of the limited availability of the class, not all mothers have the opportunity to attend. This research study will survey first time mothers of newborns to explore the effectiveness of attending the class. The study team hypothesizes that attending the class would result in increased knowledge on newborn care, increased confidence levels and decreased levels of anxiety.

First time mothers who delivered a full-term singleton vaginally with no major complications were included in the study. Only mothers who attended the class (intervention) or expressed desire to attend class but were discharged before a class was offered (control) were included in analysis. Mothers were recruited between May 2018 and August 2019 at the Klingenstein Pavilion of Mount Sinai. Maternal self-perceived anxiety and confidence were measured using standardized scales, and knowledge on newborn care was assessed using an internally-developed scale.