Pre & post natal mental health

Our clinical psychology team specialise in working with women and their partners and family during pregnancy and after their baby is born. Many women experience emotional distress, difficultly adjusting to their new role as a parent or mental health difficulties during this time.

Some of the reasons why parents to be, parents and their family may come to see our team include:

• Difficulty adjusting to becoming a parent, including during pregnancy
• Preparation for birth, particularly after a previously traumatic birth
• Difficulties with family life, including helping children adjusting to the introduction of a new sibling
• Mental health difficulties during pregnancy and the early years of their child’s life
• Difficulties in bonding and attachment with their baby

Whilst pregnancy and the process of adjusting to having a baby can be a time of great joy for mothers, partners and their family, it can also be a time of real difficulty and challenges.

It is estimated that up to one in five women and one in ten men are affected by mental health problems during pregnancy and the year after the birth of their baby. For some people having a baby can exacerbate existing or previous mental health difficulties, and for others they find themselves experiencing mental health difficulties for the first time in their life. The process of preparing to become a parent can also bring up painful memories and experiences from your own childhood, which can lead to emotional difficulties.