Everyone has worries from time-to-time in pregnancy and many find it a challenge. You might feel:
- worried about caring for your baby
- numb about the pregnancy
- unhappy or not as excited as you expected
- scared of the changes happening to your body or the physical symptoms of pregnancy
- out of control
- worried about how your relationship with your partner will change
- resentful about the way your life is going to change
- afraid of giving birth.
Having a baby can present some challenges to your relationship with your partner. It’s easy for resentments to build up and cause distance in a relationship. Visit Bump, Birth and Beyond for tips on good communication with your partner or family members and what to expect when you become a parent. Gingerbread is a great charity supporting single parent families to live happy and fulfilling lives.
You might find it helpful to write a plan in pregnancy to support your emotional wellbeing after your baby arrives including finding local activities or groups you would like to attend, contacts of people who could support you with your wellbeing or feeding your baby. Tommy’s wellbeing plan is a great way to do this.
For many people talking about their worries with your partner or other close friend is enough but if you’re starting to feel low of anxious, or your fears around childbirth is starting to affect your decision on how to give birth to your baby, reach out to your midwife, GP or health visitor as early as possible for support. These feelings don’t mean you’ll be a bad parent or that you won’t love your baby. There’s lots of help available to you if you tell people how you are feeling.
Useful resources
- The NHS website has useful information on where to get urgent help for mental health.
- Find talking therapies near you at NHS talking therapies.
- Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide. Visit the Samaritans website or call 116 123 (24-hour emergency helpline).
- Mind, provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
- Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust provide mental health services across Kent and Medway. You can call their free 24-hour helpline on 0800 783 9111if you need urgent mental health support, advice and guidance.
- Tommy's: mental health before, during and after pregnancy. 0800 0147800 midwife@tommys.org, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group provides an online Mental wellbeing information hub that has useful information for parent and carers.
- PATH is an EU-funded project that aims to enable women, families and healthcare professionals to prevent, diagnose and successfully manage mild to moderate perinatal mental health issues.
- You can talk to a trained and caring team 24/7 via the the Release the Pressure service. Text the word
'Kent' to 85258 or call freephone 0800 107 0160. Find more information at www.releasethepressure.uk. - Citizens Advice provides dedicated confidential and impartial money advice to new or soon-to-be parents if you're struggling with your money and mental health.