Mental Health as a New Parent

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I thought I would take a second to talk about mental health as it relates to childbearing.

One of the things that’s talked about often in the birth world is known commonly as “postpartum depression” but medical providers often call it Perinatal Mood Disorders. This is when pregnancy and childbirth affect a person’s mental health.

Now, the usual image broadcast with these terms is a cis woman, usually white, crying or doing something dangerous with her baby. This image is NOT ACCURATE and I feel probably prevents people from getting help when they are suffering from a perinatal mood disorder.

Fun Fact: “postpartum depression” can also be “postpartum anxiety” or “I’m pregnant depression/anxiety” or “I had this baby a year ago, why am I still feeling this way depression/anxiety” or EVEN “I didn’t get pregnant, my partner did, what is this depression/anxiety all about.”

There are lots of amazing resources out there including national helplines/directories like Postpartum Support International (https://www.postpartum.net/). If you have sadness you can’t shake, or worries that interfere with your life, or a partner that you suspect is struggling, reach out and get support.

Now— what about something else that gets overlooked: mood disorders that existed long before pregnancy.

People with things like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and others can and do get pregnant. These factors change a pregnancy— as someone with depression and anxiety, on top of ADHD, I get the fears that add an extra dimension to the rollercoaster that can be pregnancy.

“What if I can’t take my medication?” What if I HAVE to take medication?” “What if my stress affects the baby?” these are all things that I personally have asked in my own pregnancy journey. Of course, I am not a doctor, so I can’t recommend any solutions other than encouraging you to speak to your provider and find out what works best for you.

But also: know that you are not alone. And there’s a whole wide world of people who not only understand, but also have your back. I’m one of them— my inbox is always open.