Impacts & Outcomes Report (April 2022)

Blossom Antenatal commissioned analysis to be conducted to highlight the impacts and outcomes of our work to date.

This evaluation looks at the impact of Blossom Antenatal education. It evaluates the impact on expectant and new mothers: how informed, confident they feel about feeding and taking care of their baby – and how connected they feel after Blossom classes. It also identifies key features of the Blossom Antenatal model.

Using a collaborative approach, evaluators worked with the Blossom team to design a longitudinal evaluation using surveys and interviews, gathering data at four time-points before and after babies were born. Descriptive and thematic analysis was used to look at the whole data set, to track respondents over 3 months, and to look at those people accessing different amounts of Blossom education.

Top Line key findings

Blossom Antenatal education gives expectant mothers the knowledge and confidence to choose the right feeding approach for them.

• Blossom breastfeeding class gives people the information they need to make a choice about feeding (92% had the knowledge needed after compared with 42% before)
• 6-8 weeks after the birth of their baby, 68% of Blossom-supported mothers exclusively feed their babies breastmilk, compared with 48% nationally
   

High quality, practical information is a core part of the Blossom Antenatal offer.

• Blossom gives people the information they need to take care of their baby and of themselves (90% of respondents felt they had the information they needed, a 21% rise)  
• Postnatal as well as antenatal information, and on-going support is highly valued
   

The more Blossom education people receive, the bigger the impacts.

• The more Blossom education people receive, the more confident they are about deciding how to feed their baby. They are also more likely to choose and stay exclusively breastfeeding (85% at 2 weeks and 100% at 6 weeks).
• At 6 weeks, 100% of people who had multiple Blossom classes felt they had the knowledge they needed to choose how to feed, 86% of people attributed this to Blossom.
• The more Blossom education people receive, the more knowledgeable and confident they are about taking care of themselves and their baby (100% felt they had the knowledge needed)
• There are indications that people attending more Blossom classes feel less lonely
• Key to these enhanced benefits is engagement with Blossom postnatally and engaging in ‘support activities’ such as WhatsApp groups or weekly repeat activities including yoga and relaxation sessions.

Blossom antenatal education enhances some aspects of maternal well-being

• After the 4-week antenatal course concerns and worries reduce
• There is limited evidence that attending Blossom classes makes people feel less lonely or isolated, however….
• …. over ¾ (77%) of people taking part in Blossom support activities (such as the WhatsApp groups) say they feel supported and key to this is being able to communicate with mums of babies of a similar age

Some key features of the Blossom model are unique to Blossom.

• The accessibility and affordability of classes are important throughout. Knowledge, experience, warmth and practical advice are more important as time goes by.
• The ability to tailor-make a personalised antenatal package; to select just what is needed and when was highlighted as unique to Blossom.
• The nature of Blossom’s online offer across classes, weekly sessions and WhatsApp groups supports pregnant and new mums well.

The majority Blossom journeys are short, but there is a key time for re-engagement

• By far most journeys start with the free breastfeeding class
• After their initial classes, 85% of people indicate they will access more, but the majority don’t. 26% of respondents attended other activities during pregnancy, 15% once their baby was born
• Around 8 weeks after the birth of their baby, people are ready to re-engage
• The content and timing of emails from Blossom help keep people engaged

Blossom Antenatal provides high quality and impactful online education and support for expectant and new mothers. The high-quality evidence-based information, knowledge and experienced teachers, and participants' ability to build their own tailor-made packages are key elements to this success.

The more Blossom people access, the bigger the impact on knowledge, confidence and on feeling connected; key to these bigger impacts are engagement in support activities such as WhatsApp groups, and classes after their baby is born. Thinking of ways keeping expectant and new mothers engaged is critical.

The full report can be found here.