Pregnancy can be an exciting time, but it can also bring challenges 鈥� especially if you鈥檝e experienced mental health difficulties before. You might notice new feelings or a return of previous symptoms during pregnancy or after your baby is born. You are not alone. We鈥檙e here to support you.
This leaflet explains the support available to you during pregnancy and the early weeks after your baby鈥檚 birth.
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At Your Booking Appointment
Your midwife will ask you about any current medication that you鈥檙e taking for your mental health.
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Specialist Care Planning (around 32 weeks)
You might be offered a care plan to help:
听You, your family, and relevant professionals will help shape this plan.
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Collaborative Care
If your history or current medication needs it, an obstetrician may join your care team to ensure you, and your baby receive the most appropriate and joined-up care.
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Medication and Pregnancy
Medication is sometimes necessary to help manage mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
Pregnancy is not protective against mental illness, and some conditions are more likely to return during and after pregnancy. Your wellbeing is important for you and your baby.
Your GP, mental health team, obstetrician and perinatal mental health midwife will support you to make the safest choice.
We recommend that you access the website for information specific to the medication you are taking.
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Postnatal
Some medications may require an extended postnatal stay for you and your baby.听 During this period of additional observation, we are looking for symptoms including jitteriness, agitation or irritability, excess sleepiness and sometimes difficulty feeding. Most of these are very mild, and your baby will get better without any special intervention. The length of the stay is dependent on the medication (s) that you are taking.听 Some very serious medical problems also have signs just like withdrawal does, which is why the observation is important.
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Additional Ways to Stay Well
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Nurturing Your Baby After Birth
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Your well-being is a priority and we鈥檙e here to help
Please be aware that this email is not accessed 7 days a week so there will be a delay in answering your message.听 If your enquiry is of a more urgent nature please contact your Mental health Specialist Service, your GP or refer to the out of hours services at the end of this leaflet. The Perinatal Mental Health midwife is available from 12 weeks gestation up until 28 days postnatal.听听听听
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You can self-refer for Talking Therapies at any point
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Websites
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Out of hours
Mental health triage service can be accessed by calling 111 or online at
Call 116 123 for free
Text SHOUT to 85258. More information is available on the website.
Salisbury Hospital 鈥� Labour Ward 鈥� Lines open 24/7 01722 425 183 or 01722 425 188
Note. This document uses the term women throughout, but this term should be taken to also include people who do not identify as women but who are pregnant, in labour and in the postnatal period.
Our Maternity Information Leaflets for parents and service users are reviewed regularly by parents and service users. If you have any comments/feedback about this leaflet or are interested in looking at future leaflets, please contact our Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP)听
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Our staff at SA国际传媒 Hospital have long been well regarded for the quality of care and treatment they provide for our patients and for their innovation, commitment and professionalism. This has been recognised in a wide range of achievements and it is reflected in our award of NHS Foundation Trust status. This is afforded to hospitals that provide the highest standards of care.
