Perinatal mental health and emotional wellbeing

Having a baby is one of the biggest life-changing experiences you will ever have.

While this is often a happy and exciting time for you and your family, sometimes for many different reasons pregnancy and the arrival of a new baby is not easy and  you may not  feel as expected. You may experience emotional difficulties, such as low mood, depression and anxiety. 

During the first week after childbirth, many women get what's often called the "baby blues". Women can experience a low mood, feel irritable, tearful and feel mildly depressed at a time when they expected to  feel happy after having a baby. "Baby blues" are probably due to the sudden hormonal and chemical changes that take place in your body after childbirth.

If these symptoms do not resolve after a few days, or start to impact on how you live your life, you may be experiencing a perinatal mental health problem.

If you are worried about your mental health please contact your health visiting team 0208 770 5409 and/or visit your GP.

For more information please and further support visit: 

• Perinatal positivity 
• Emotional-health-and-wellbeing-mothers
• Mush mums 
• Mums matter
• https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/