World Mental Health Day 10th Oct - Pregnancy/Postnatal awareness

10th October marks the World Mental Health Awareness day.

Statistics show that 1 in every 10 women experience depression/anxiety in pregnancy. 

In recent years, mental health is discussed much more than ever before however it can still be a taboo topic especially in pregnancy as this is supposed to be a very happy, exciting time, right? Well, not every woman feels this way. Some women may experience mixed or negative feelings about their pregnancy. This can be because of a variety of contributory factors, this can include the hormones from pregnancy, the physical symptoms of sheer exhaustion from e.g. morning sickness, the support you have (or don't have) and other stressful events that can occur in your life.

Women often worry about how they will cope with pregnancy or having a baby.  It’s normal to feel stressed or anxious at times. When you are pregnant, it is common to worry about:

• The changes in your role (becoming a mother, stopping work).
• The changes in your relationships.
• Whether you will be a good parent.
• Fear that there will be problems with the pregnancy or the baby.
• Physical health problems and pregnancy complications.
• Fear of childbirth.
• Lack of support and being alone.

Just like at other times in life, you can have many different types of mental illness and the severity can vary.  You may already have had a mental illness when you became pregnant.  

Mental health problems you have had in the past can be worrying because they can increase the risk of becoming unwell, particularly after birth. However, with the right help this can often be prevented.  You can also develop mental health problems for the first time in pregnancy or after birth. How your mental health is affected during pregnancy depends on many things. These include:

• The type of mental illness you have had already.
• Stopping medication for a mental health problem - you have a high risk of relapse if you do this when you become pregnant. This is more likely if you have had a severe illness , several episodes of illness or a recent episode.
• Recent stressful events in your life (such as a death in the family or a relationship ending).
• How you feel about your pregnancy - you may or may not be happy about being pregnant.
• Upsetting memories about difficulties in your own childhood.

Symptoms of mental illness in pregnancy are similar to symptoms you have at other times, but some may focus on the pregnancy. For instance, you may have anxious or negative thoughts about your pregnancy or your baby. You may find changes in your weight and shape difficult, particularly if you have had an eating disorder.

Sometimes symptoms caused by your pregnancy can be confused with symptoms of mental illness. For example, broken sleep and lack of energy are common in both pregnancy and depression.

It’s just as important to have treatment for mental health problems as it is for physical health problems in pregnancy. The best treatment for you will depend on your illness and how severe it has been. Both medication and psychological therapies (talking treatments) can help.

27% of women can experience mental health problems after baby is born, this is again because of a variety of reasons, however it is important to know when you feel overwhelmed or not yourself to reach out. 

 Its is okay, not to be okay.

You are not alone, mental health problems during pregnancy and after baby is born are common and help is available.

 Reach out, talk and it is okay to say you are finding things hard. We are here to support you, your healthcare provider/local midwife is also there and trained especially in mental health to support you. 

 If you do feel there has been a change in your mental health, the most important thing you can do is talk to your midwife or healthcare professional. They are trained to support you and signpost you to ongoing support in your pregnancy and postnatally.

 There is plenty of resources out there to support you:

If you need urgent help for a mental health crisis or emergency, you should get immediate expert advice and assessment, no matter what you are going through:

Contact 111 and select the mental health option. 

ANTENATAL SUPPORT:

Free Listening services:

These services offer confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult:

• Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: [email protected] for a reply within 24 hours
• Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19

If you're under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.

Talking therapies can be good if you are feeling down and would like to talk through how you are feeling, your healthcare professional care refer you or you can refer yourself:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/find-an-NHS-talking-therapies-service/

This is a charity that can also support through the pregnancy and postnatal period to support mental health and your well-being. 

 POSTNATAL SUPPORT:

  - Focuses on postnatal women support, they have online support, telephone support and face to face services throughout England. 

Face to Face: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/local-minds/

Telephone: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/

Online: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/side-by-side-our-online-community/

 - Birth Trauma Association are there to support families who may have experienced birth trauma with lots of ongoing support. 

https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/