Are Pets Beneficial for New Moms?

Are you pregnant, or have you had a baby in the last nine months?

Do you want to take part in some real scientific research?

Then read on!

Ever since he learned how his arms and legs worked, science baby has been desperately trying to bond with the family cat.

Unfortunately, the cat is far from convinced. But I suppose he was here first, and this loud, handsy, unpredictable skin creature is an imposition into his life that he neither requested or expected.

Long before I became a real mom, I was a cat mom, and cats have always brought me warmth and companionship. Our current cat still does – he just waits for science baby to be somewhere else! There’s research out there that shows that having a pet can decrease stress, improve heart health, and boost kids’ social and emotional skills.

Now, the clever people at the University of Hull are trying to see how it affects new and expectant mothers too.

Given what a stressful time having a baby can be, and how this impacts everyone in the household, they want to find out whether owning a pet is a source of emotional support, or acts as an additional burden during this time, and whether that role might change between pregnancy and baby’s arrival.

To get to the bottom of this, they’re looking for more people to fill in their short survey.

So, if you are:

Designated female at birth, and
Over 18, and
Pregnant or have had a baby in the last 9 months

…whether you have a pet or not, the follow this link to fill in their survey. It should take less than 10 minutes.

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/hull/petownershipandmaternalwellbeing

The survey will be open until 21st April 2025, so please pass it on to anyone you know who might also fit the criteria.

Once all the data has been collected and the results are ready, we’ll be able to share the results with you and find out whether pets are good for your mental health as a new or expectant mother.