Being pregnant - whether it’s your first time or your fifth – is a huge life change.
And huge life changes, even good ones, can be overwhelming. Pregnancy can bring a rollercoaster of emotions even in the early weeks. And women can feel upset, tearful or anxious in the first few weeks after giving birth – in fact the “baby blues” can affect up to 80 per cent of new mums.
Most women adapt to these changing emotions through pregnancy and after birth with the support of family and friends. But sometimes feelings of or stress persist which can be a sign of antenatal or postnatal depression. This can affect 1 in 10 women, as well as fathers and partners. So it’s important to know where to turn to for help.
This Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, I want to raise awareness about the support available. As an obstetrician and as a mother myself, I know how crucial it is for women to get the right support as early as possible. I see at first hand that it is so important for healthcare professionals to support the whole pregnancy experience, including mental health.
There are things you can do to help maintain good mental wellbeing, such as keeping a healthy lifestyle and having someone you can talk to. Going to antenatal classes and making friends with other new parents can be really beneficial to build that support network.
If you’re experiencing strong feelings of sadness or stress for an extended period of time and think you may have antenatal or postnatal depression, I’d advise speaking to your GP, obstetrician or midwife – they can refer you to specialist services if needed. Specialist community perinatal mental health services are now available in every local area – in fact, over 40,000 women accessed them in the 12 months to December 2021.
We’re also expanding access to psychological and talking therapies within specialist perinatal mental health services which offer vital support to women who’ve experienced trauma or loss related to their pregnancy. It’s vital that we all acknowledge the impact of pregnancy loss on mental wellbeing, including across society and in the workplace. New Maternal Mental Health Services (MMHS) will join up psychological therapy, maternity services and reproductive health services for women – 33 of these are being established, and services will be available across the whole of England by March 2024.
More widely, it’s crucial every woman has access to the support they need, which is why we’re improving perinatal and maternal mental health services across the country, reducing disparities in healthcare. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to ensuring 66,000 women will be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24. This will include care from preconception to 24 months after birth, ensuring an extra year of help.
We have also launched a mental health call for evidence and I encourage all women (and their partners), especially those with experience of pregnancy depression or baby loss, to share their views on how support and services should adapt for the future. This will inform a new 10-year mental health plan to improve services and promote positive mental wellbeing around pregnancy.
Becoming pregnant and looking after a small baby can be stressful and exhausting. Often it takes time to adapt to being a new parent. For pregnant and postnatal women, you’re not alone. Support and treatments are available to give you and your baby the best possible start on your new journey.
Professor Lucy Chappell is chief scientific adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), chief executive officer of the National Institute for Health Research, professor of obstetrics at King’s College London and honorary consultant obstetrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. She leads the NIHR together with Dr Louise Wood and is chair of the NIHR Strategy Board.
Professor Chappell has overall responsibility for DHSC research and development, including the NIHR, and supporting the department’s analysis function.