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Parental Wellbeing

In this section, you will find tips to help and support the promotion of mental health and emotional wellbeing as new parents.

Pregnancy, birth, and parenthood is a life-changing experience, whether this is your first child or not. It can be overwhelming and cause a number of emotions. Our Health Visiting Service is here to support you through this journey.

By providing antenatal contact, this enables us to explore these feelings and assess how you are. We will regularly explore your emotional health and wellbeing, and within the 6-8 week review, a more in-depth assessment will be completed by your health visitor.

Having a baby is a huge life event and a time of change. It is normal to feel many different emotions during the transition to parenthood, for example, over half of all new mothers will experience what is known as the “baby blues”. The “baby blues” are due to the sudden hormonal and chemical changes that take place in your body after childbirth. This can affect many women, and should only last for a few days. However, for some women, these symptoms can be more severe and last longer, and could be postnatal depression.

Depression and anxiety are thought to affect 15-20% of women in the first year after childbirth.

Signs of postnatal depression may include:

  • Feelings of being unable to cope, hopelessness and excessive anxiety
  • Not being able to stop crying
  • Panic attacks
  • Concerns about bonding with your baby

Fathers are important, and good mental health is important for fathers, their partners and their children. Close involvement of fathers from birth supports positive family/couple relationships, and fathers have an important role to play in child development. Men go through many complex changes when they become a father, which can make the perinatal period (from conception to one year after the birth of a baby) a particularly vulnerable time in a man’s life. The adjustment to these changes, and the challenge of balancing demands, including your home and work life, economic pressures, the emotional needs of you and your partner, and the unfamiliarity that can come with a new role, can affect your mental health.

Good mental health makes such a difference. It helps us to relax more, achieve more and enjoy our children and family more.

If you are experiencing perinatal mental illness such as prolonged baby blues, depression or anxiety, speak to your health visitor, midwife or GP for support.

Tips to support emotional wellbeing and mental health:

  • Get as much rest, relaxation and regular sleep as possible

  • Try to stop drinking alcohol altogether (you can ask your health visitor, midwife or GP for advice and support with this)

  • Stop smoking – it’s a common belief that smoking helps you relax, but smoking actually increases anxiety and tension (ask your health visitor, midwife or GP about stop smoking services)

  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet

  • Take regular, gentle exercise

  • Do not try to do everything at once. Make a list of things to do and set realistic goals

  • Meditation or Mindfulness – either through a class or an app such as the 'Headspace' app

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