4 reasons you might ignore your perinatal mental health (and why you shouldn't)
24 Oct 2016
Welcoming a child into the world changes your life. The perinatal period (pregnancy through to your child’s first birthday) will bring smiles, cuddles and fun, but also tears, lost sleep and stress. Even the healthiest person will take time to adjust, and some women will have more difficulty adjusting than others.
Prof Marie-Paule Austin is head of Perinatal Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales and the Director of the Mother and Baby unit at St John of God Burwood Hospital. Here she shares why she thinks women don’t seek help when they struggle with their emotional health.
1. You think depression only occurs postnatally.
Many health care professionals don’t use the term ‘post-natal depression’ anymore and instead use ‘perinatal depression.’ This is because women may experience issues with their emotional health well before the baby is born.
“The term ‘postnatal depression’ implied that a woman’s emotional health was fine in pregnancy and then suddenly everything went wrong when the baby was born, which is not the case,” said Prof Austin. “In many cases a woman will start to become unwell in pregnancy and feel worse when the baby comes with the added sleep deprivation and the challenges of caring for a newborn.”
It is important to begin caring for your emotional health right from the start of pregnancy.
2. “I can cope with this on my own.”
The perinatal period can be stressful and many women feel anxious at this time. If you are struggling emotionally, don’t tough it out on your own.
Sharing the burden with family, friends or a trusted health care professional is just as important as going for pregnancy checks.
3. ‘My family/friends think I’m OK – so there’s no need to seek help’.
If you’ve taken the positive step of sharing your feelings with a trusted confidant - what happens if they don’t take you seriously?
“Don’t give up, trust your gut feeling,” said Prof Austin. Follow it up by speaking to a trusted health care professional. This could be your GP, midwife, nurse or obstetrician.”
4. You think talking about your struggles may lead to being labelled.
There are many barriers that can discourage women from seeking help, and one of the most significant barriers is stigma. Prof Austin explains that many women think that if they tell anyone about how they are feeling they are owning up to ‘being a failure’ or may get labelled as ‘mad’.
Others fear they will be asked to take medication. However medication is only one option, and most women will benefit from seeing a psychologist or participating in a support group.