Mother and Baby Unit becomes mum’s safe place
9 Nov 2021
Her daughter, who was approaching three-years-old, was becoming difficult to settle and Michelle’s fast approaching due date was sparking additional stress for the family.
“I was probably in a bad way for the last six months of my pregnancy and then about three weeks after my son was born I was really bad,” Michelle said.
The lack of sleep that goes hand-in-hand with parenting a newborn was exacerbating her anxiety and she just had a sense of being “completely overwhelmed”.
Michelle’s GP helped her identify that she wasn’t coping and referred her to St John of God Burwood Hospital’s Mother and Baby Unit, where she was able to get inpatient support while staying with her son.
“I was in a really bad way, I couldn’t even answer the questions when I got to the hospital but I was able to sleep that first night and could talk about my situation more and get settled in the next day,” she said.
“It was really important that I was able to go in with my son, I wouldn’t have gone in without him but I was still very worried about how I would care for him.
“It was quite an overwhelming process but there was another girl who was admitted on the same day as I was and we gravitated towards each other.”
Michelle stayed at the hospital for about three weeks with her son, accessing the support and care from nurses for her own wellbeing and for her son, while also benefitting from the mental health therapy on hand.
She continued to need some more ongoing support, and was readmitted to the hospital another three times up until her son was about one, to get the intensive support she needed once more.
“For me, it become one of my safe places and it was where I wanted to be,” Michelle said.
“The parents were different each time but the nurses were the same and I felt such a relief each time.”
Michelle has also continued to seek ongoing care through the hospital’s DBT outpatient program, through which she found additional community support programs including for her children. She also continues to see her psychiatrist.
“This has been really important for me because I have been able to create my own support program to support me at home,” Michelle said.
Michelle is sharing her story as a part of Perinatal Mental Health Week, which aims to raise awareness of perinatal anxiety and depression which can affect up to one in five new mums and one in 10 new dads.
St John of God Burwood Hospital runs only private inpatient Mother and Baby Unit in New South Wales, caring for mums and their babies so they can develop a secure bond.
The hospital also offers outpatient services for mums when they leave hospital, while another St John of God Health Care service, St John of God Raphael Services, provides counselling and group support, with no out-of-pocket costs for mums, dads and families.
Michelle encouraged all women who were worried about their mental health to speak up and ask for help.
“In hindsight, I think I had postnatal depression while my first baby, but I didn’t realise,” she said.
“My biggest regret I didn’t know about the Mother and Baby Unit with my first child. I think I could have enjoyed the experience so much more, just been that much more present and available and really enjoy the good moments as opposed to feeling tired and overwhelmed.”