We can all struggle with our mental health at any time, but during pregnancy and up to a year after birth (also known as the perinatal period) can be a particularly difficult time.

Around 20% of women/birthing people experience mental health difficulties during the perinatal period. However, we know that the majority of new parents may struggle to name, explain, or talk about these experiences. This can make it understandably difficult to reach out, and means many people may struggle to ask for support that could really make a difference. It’s not surprising that we are more likely to struggle at this time.

As parents we are undergoing massive changes in our lives: our routines, relationships and priorities are going to shift. Our hormones rapidly rise and fall, impacting our mood, energy levels and our awareness of threat. We are likely to have all sorts of new worries that come with a new baby; we might feel unsupported, have worries about work, money, relationships or be unsure about the future. On top of this, we now have a baby to look after as well as ourselves.

Some of the difficulties we can experience are:

  • Feeling low
  • Intrusive thoughts
  • Changes in appetite
  • Hypervigilance (overly looking/checking for danger or threat)
  • Feeling anxious
  • Changes in sleep
  • Changes in body image
  • Not enjoying the things you used to enjoy
  • Paranoid thoughts
  • Feeling isolated

These experiences are really common during this time period. Talking to someone about how we’re feeling can help us to feel less alone, and can be the first step to accessing further support if we need it.

For some people, the pregnancy, birth, or neonatal period can be experienced as traumatic. This could be due to physical complications, negative experiences of healthcare, or decisions around the birth and feeling a lack of control during this difficult period. In other cases, this might involve the loss of the pregnancy or baby. Understandably, these experiences can be incredibly difficult and can have a lasting impact on a person. The stages of grief or processing of trauma can naturally take time. Starting the conversation about perinatal mental health.

Ordinarily, our brains process and “time-stamp” memories so that we recall them as being a past event – distinct from the here and now, stored appropriately. Like a tidy, well-organised linen closet. When experiences are traumatic, this processing can go awry; the memories may not get time-stamped and stored correctly. Like a disorganised linen closet, the doors can spring open and the linen spill out. This can lead to some post-traumatic symptoms such as flashbacks and nightmares, intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, avoidance, or dissociation from emotions.

It can be difficult to talk about mental health difficulties under any circumstances. Perinatal mental health experiences can be especially difficult to share with others, particularly when we have the perception that other parents are coping. We may think we are expected to only feel joy and love when we have a new baby, however everybody will experience a range of different emotions. We hope Maternal Mental Health Awareness week can help us all to start conversations, connect with others, and show more compassion to ourselves.

Please ask for help, you are not alone in these feelings!