By: Nicki Reid, Bilingual BA
In the United Kingdom (UK), approximately one quarter of new or expecting mothers experience perinatal mental health challenges.
While there has been more awareness and conversations around perinatal mental health over the years; there are still some conditions that are flying under the radar. In this blog, you’ll learn about some lesser known conditions and how you can get help.
Perinatal mental health problems refer to mental health disturbances that happen during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth. Peri meaning near and and natal meaning present at birth. Perinatal meaning near or around birth / pregnancy and postnatal period. During the perinatal period there are several mental health conditions that can arise, some of which include: eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and birth trauma leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Perinatal eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that cause disordered eating patterns like restricting food intake, eating very large quantities of food at once, eliminating eaten food in unhealthy ways (e.g. fasting, abusing laxatives, exercising excessively, etc.) or a combination of the aforementioned that occur in the perinatal period. Anorexia nervosa, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), binge eating disorder (BED), bulimia nervosa, other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED), other eating and feeding problems are some of the types of eating disorders that can start during or before pregnancy and be triggered by pregnancy. The signs may be harder to spot because you don’t look a certain way if you have one. The clues are in the mood and behaviour and some general ones to look out for are: secretive behaviour around food, low self-esteem, social withdrawal, concerns about your shape or weight, and more. Various factors like environment, genetics, biology and psychology can cause eating disorders. To get help, start by speaking with your midwife and General Practitioner (GP) who can guide you accordingly. Treatment varies by person and can involve: connecting with your local eating disorder service, perinatal mental health services, therapist referral for cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), or therapist-led guided self-help exercises.
For new and expectant parents it's common to have worries about the safety of your baby, but it becomes a problem when it starts to interfere with your everyday life. Perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that can develop during the prenatal or postnatal period for the first time or can happen prior to pregnancy and be triggered by your pregnancy. The symptoms are compartmentalized into 3 main parts:
Some causes include: a family history of OCD, and hormones. Perinatal OCD impacts everyone who has it differently. Some things to consider are how it impacts the bond between you and your baby, your relationship with others (partner, family, friends, etc.). Some people may think having perinatal OCD makes them a bad parent and may thus be reluctant in seeking support, but this isn’t true and there’s no shame in asking for help. Treatment entails: informing your GP, midwife, or health visitor who can connect you to self-help resources for those with mild OCD, self-help groups, social support from your partner / friends / family, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and /or medication. If you’re concerned about how medication might impact you or your baby, discuss your concerns with your GP or psychiatrist.
Pregnancy, birth, and motherhood are perceived to be a joyous time in a mother’s life; sadly, this isn’t the case and for some it can be very traumatic. Birth trauma happens when childbirth becomes a frightening or stressful event. It can turn into postnatal post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which is a type of anxiety disorder and complex mental health condition that can be triggered by living through, observing, and sometimes even hearing about (a)traumatic event(s). This means that your (birthing) partner can experience this in their own way as well. You may have: (persistent) nightmares of flashbacks of the birth trauma, memory loss surrounding details, a disconnection from yourself or baby, anxiety or fear around having children (tokophobia) in the future, problems feeding and / or bonding with your baby and feeling ashamed or guilty as a result, postnatal depression (PND), etc. Some factors that can lead to this are: a long and painful labour, medical intervention (i.e. use of forceps, induction, emergency caesarean section), poor postnatal care, etc. Discuss your experience with your GP, midwife or health visitor as they can help you get access to specialized cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) focused on trauma, Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), medication where appropriate, peer counselling support groups, etc.
Sometimes people think that if you’re struggling with your mental health, you’ll look a certain way, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Looking fine and being fine aren’t the same thing. In society, there’s an expectation that mothers are supposed to be able to take on everything happily with a smile and can-do attitude. Some may look at a mother and think “she’s so happy and lucky”; when the reality may be that she’s sleep deprived, unhappy, and is actually having a hard time managing. When mothers aren’t able to live up to this, a sense of guilt or shame can consume them. In addition, they may be hesitant to share how they’re really feeling because they don’t want to come across as if they’re unable to manage or cope. Know that if you’re having perinatal mental health problems, it’s okay and there’s support available to help you get better.
As always, stay informed, take deep care and be well, mama.
Nicki Reid, Bilingual BA
Certified Transformational Health and Life Coach | Certified Yoga and Meditation Teacher | Certified Emotional Emancipation Facilitator | Certified Reiki Practitioner | Founder, Wholesome Mind Health Coaching