Our Advanced Insights (AI) blogs give our Advanced CCA team an opportunity to share their knowledge, opinions and professional insights to the latest news from the world of Social Work and Family Law.
Earlier this week we shared an article from the BBC – Mental health: More help for new and expectant mothers in England. Here are our thoughts on the article and the topic of mental health and pregnancy…
A time for celebration, excitement, a new beginning and new life. For some however, pregnancy represents worry, anxiety, fear and an increased risk of mental health problems.
These problems may have been prevalent in a woman’s life even before they conceived and the added stress and responsibility can simply overwhelm an expectant mother. The physiological changes in a woman’s body can lead to psychological changes throughout pregnancy that many women experience. Heightened emotions are a typical symptom of pregnancy, as are ‘baby blues’ once the baby arrives but for some new and expectant mothers, these problems become serious and require timely interventions.
In a climate of uncertainty, when anxieties about pregnancy have been exacerbated by Covid restrictions, the journey of pregnancy has been altered considerably for some.
Support has been minimised for some women over the past 12 months and some have been forced to face the journey alone. The need to support women who are experiencing mental health problems at any stage of their pregnancy and following the birth of their child has never been stronger and we welcome the Government’s plans to introduce new Mental Health ‘hubs’. This will be an invaluable resource and one that all Independent Social Worker’s should familiarise themselves with.
