Pregnancy and motherhood can be extremely challenging times. Some women feel a pressure to be “Supermum”, balancing work, home, and children. Others may have difficulty bonding with their baby, or overcoming the trauma of a complicated delivery. Sometimes challenges include relationship issues, problems with sleep or feeding, or the grief of a miscarriage or still birth. Women can end up feeling overwhelmed, anxious and guilty. This can place enormous pressure on a woman’s mental health and on her relationships.
Our psychiatrist Dr Alice Chang is experienced in the management of perinatal psychiatry, and can assist with pre-conception planning, pregnancy and post-natal care. Sometimes women have a previous diagnosis of depression or anxiety and are concerned about taking medication while pregnant or breastfeeding. Dr Chang has specialist knowledge and can advise you and your GP about the use of antidepressants and other psychiatric medicines during and after pregnancy.
Women find pregnancy support counselling helpful for a number of pregnancy-related issues including:
- Making decisions and exploring possible options about a pregnancy
- Coming to terms with unexpected outcomes (e.g. still birth, miscarriage, genetic conditions, problems at birth, cot death/SIDS)
- Dealing with a variety of feelings related to her pregnancy, birth or early months of being a parent
- Coping with the birth of multiple babies - twins, triplets or more
- Psychological treatments for pregnancy-related conditions including baby blues and post-natal depression or anxiety
- Discussing her pregnancy with others (e.g. partner, children, parents, religious or cultural groups)