Everyone knows that you should glow when you’re pregnant, and be full of happiness and fulfilment when you’ve had your baby. But what if that’s not how you feel?
First of all, you’re not alone: more than one in ten women develops a mental illness during pregnancy, or in the first year after having a baby.
And most of them tell no one.
This is a real shame because you don’t need to struggle on alone: you can be treated and be well.
If you feel that something is wrong – perhaps you are really struggling to cope, feeling low week after week, or you just don’t feel like yourself – talk to someone.
You can talk to your midwife, your GP, someone in your family – but make sure you get help, and if you know that something is wrong don’t let anyone brush you off with “it’s just your hormones”, or “it’s only baby blues”. Trust your instincts about what’s right for you.
If you have experienced mental illness before, or have a long-term condition, you may find it returns or is exacerbated by pregnancy or childbirth, but if you work with your doctors from the moment you know you are pregnant they will be able to give you the support you need to stay well.
A sign of how much maternal mental health matters is that last month the Mental Health Foundation announced that it has been awarded £500,000 from the Big Lottery Fund for its new Mums and Families in Mind project. They’ll be working in partnership with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance to train midwives, health visitors and other professionals in perinatal mental health.
The new project is much needed because many pregnant or new mothers with mental illness go undiagnosed and untreated and their illness affects not only the women themselves but also their families and babies.
The Alliance is running a campaign, “Everyone’s Business”, that calls for every woman who develops a mental illness in pregnancy to receive the care they need.
If you are pregnant and feel that you may be depressed, it is vital that you talk to your doctor.
You can be treated without harm to your baby and not only is this important for your own well-being, but also for your unborn child: recent research shows that depression in pregnancy can make it more likely for your unborn child to experience depression in adolescence or adulthood.
A 28 year-old female patient was referred to Dr Winbow by her general practitioner, with increasing apathy, poor concentration and insomnia. Before these symptoms her personality was normal and she had no past history of mental illness. Her daughter had been born at the local hospital by forceps delivery three months before her psychological symptoms started.
Dr Winbow diagnosed her as having a puerperal depressive illness and as she was not breast feeding, he prescribed her antidepressants and gave her 10 sessions of individual cognitive behavioural therapy. In addition to this her health visitor was involved in helping her to bond well with the baby. She made a complete recovery after three months and functioned well with the baby.
The Maternal Mental Health Alliance
Tommy’s, for advice from midwives
Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP)
PND Support (ante and postnatal depression support)
PANDAS (Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support)
Royal College of Psychiatrists: leaflet about mental health in pregnancy:
New research on effect on baby of prenatal depression
