Putting the joy back into parenthood

As Catherine prepared to have her second baby she and husband John were feeling positive and looking forward to growing their young family.

19 May 2017

The birth of their first daughter, Jade, had brought them incredible joy and they had no reason to expect anything different the second time around. However, less than four weeks after the birth of little Ava, Catherine had to face the fact that she wasn’t coping.

“Everything was so overwhelming. I was teary and unhappy, which made me feel very guilty,” she said.

“Keeping both girls happy was such a challenge and the days felt so long. I felt like I had no control of the situation.”

Although Catherine had occasionally experienced anxiety, she said her feelings during this time were much worse and eventually her husband insisted she visit her doctor.

She was referred to St John of God Raphael Services, which offers specialised perinatal and infant mental health care for parents affected by anxiety, stress or depression before and during pregnancy and following childbirth.

The service worked with Catherine to agree on a recovery plan, which included individual counselling sessions with a psychologist, consults with a psychiatrist and anti-depressant medication.

“I saw the psychologist every week for about a month and then every two or three weeks,” Catherine said.

“She helped me understand the anxiety and depression so that I could build my confidence and believe in myself. She also made me realise how common post-natal depression is, which made me feel much better.”

Catherine said although those early days were tough, she now sees them as a blessing as they forced her to seek help.

“I’m much stronger now and I am slowly getting back to normality,” she said.

“I can honestly now say I feel happy and relaxed and I am enjoying my new baby.”

Acting Director Raphael Services Helen McAllister said most people expect to feel happy and excited when expecting a baby or upon the arrival of a new child, but this is not always the case.

“Pregnancy and childbirth can also bring a lot of physical, emotional and social changes that can be hard to deal with, especially while parents are getting to know their new baby,” she said.

“If you are a new parent who is struggling with emotional health issues, remember you are not alone.

“Up to one in 10 women and one in 20 men experience antenatal depression. More than one in seven new mums and up to one in 10 new dads experience postnatal depression.”

Staffed by a multidisciplinary team of mental health clinicians, Raphael Services is available to all members of the community, not just St John of God Health Care patients, and provides services free of charge until the child is four years of age.

Raphael Services is available in Wembley, Fremantle, Cockburn and Midland and the service is working steadily to expand into regional and rural WA.

Support is also available for parents experiencing mental health issues around prenatal testing or pregnancy loss.

St John of God Foundation is working towards providing funding for service provision and into research of mental health to aid our clinicians to provide better health outcomes.