The arrival of a new baby is a major life event for any family. It can be joyful, exciting, overwhelming and challenging all at once. As well as the expected ups and downs connected with becoming a parent, many people experience mental health problems too.
- One in four women have a mental health problem in pregnancy and during the 24 months after giving birth.
- The most common mental health problems experienced during pregnancy and after birth are anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- In the UK, maternal suicide is the leading cause of direct deaths occurring within a year after the end of pregnancy.
Last September, we shared the experiences of 1,738 women in our report Mental health and the journey to parenthood to show what was working and what was not when it came to mental health support for new parents.
Our findings echoed previous research, highlighting that while many women report good experiences of care, support is variable and does not consistently meet NICE national guidelines for what women should expect when it comes to the recognition, assessment and treatment of mental health problems during and after pregnancy.
The wide range of experiences women shared with us also highlighted how unique each person’s journey to becoming a parent can be and how important it is that the support made available meets their individual needs.
Find out more here: https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/blog/2020-03-09/how-your-views-have-helped-improve-mental-health-support-future-mums
