Your mental health is as important as your physical health, particularly during pregnancy when your life is changing so much in a short period of time.
We offer a range of Perinatal Health and Wellbeing support, which is available to you throughout the perinatal period. This time runs from the beginning of pregnancy up to one year after the birth of your baby.
Coping with change
Although pregnancy is an exciting time for most people, the changes it brings can be unsettling, and hard to deal with emotionally. Your body and hormones are changing. You may feel sick or very tired, which can also impact your mood. While some people feel strong and energised during pregnancy, others can feel more vulnerable and weepy than usual. A mix of feelings from one day to the next is also normal.
Other issues may also cause stress during pregnancy. Relationships, money, housing, and work can present their own issues, whether these are related to your pregnancy or not.
Complications during pregnancy, and past negative or traumatic experiences can also make things very tough. Dealing with this alongside the physical demands your body is under can make it hard to stay well emotionally.
Ways to care for your mental wellbeing
- Look after your physical wellbeing. Eating well, staying active, and getting plenty of sleep will all help you stay positive mentally.
- Stay informed. Going to antenatal classes, reading about pregnancy and birth, and asking your midwife about anything you’re unsure of can help you feel more in control. This will help with anxiety and worries.
- Take time out to relax and rest when you need to. If you already have children, this may be easier said than done. However, even a short amount of time to yourself each day, doing something you find relaxing, giving your mind a break from worries, can help.
- Connect with other pregnant people. Joining mums’ groups, popping along to your local Family Hub, or just having a coffee with a friend in the same situation, can all make your worries seem smaller.
- Share your feelings with someone you trust. Talking to a family member, close friend, your partner, or even a colleague, can help soothe your worries. A different point of view may give you new practical solutions to problems too.
Ask for help if you need it. Strong emotions during pregnancy are common, but if you are feeling sad more often than happy, or you have been feeling low for more than a couple of weeks, you can ask your midwife, GP or health visitor for help
Tommy’s have created a Pregnancy and post-birth wellbeing plan. It’s designed to help you to think about how you feel and what support you might need in your pregnancy and after the birth.
