Calm Pregnancy: Feasibility of Mindfulness-Based Prenatal Stress Reduction

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a mindfulness-based intervention among pregnant women (12-20 weeks’ gestation) using a mobile meditation app, Calm. This study involved 100 participants who were recruited nationally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Arizona State University (STUDY STUDY00010467). All participants were provided an informed consent document and provided electronic consent prior to enrollment and participation in this study. This study was a randomized, controlled trial (trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04264910). Participants randomized to the intervention group were asked to participate in a minimum of 10 minutes of daily meditation using a mindfulness meditation mobile app (i.e., Calm) for the duration of their pregnancy. Participants randomized to the standard of care control group were given access to the app after they gave birth. Both the intervention and control groups were administered surveys that measured feasibility outcomes, perceived stress, mindfulness, self-compassion, impact from COVID-19, pregnancy-related anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, sleep, and childbirth experience at four time points: baseline (12-20 weeks gestation), midline (24 weeks gestation), postintervention (36 weeks gestation), and follow-up survey (3-5 weeks postpartum). Data is currently being analyzed for publication.