Information For Her Australia

It was fantastic to see that there is support for new mums after all and it will come from the federal Labor Government. The new funding commitment means that new mums will have access to support that at the moment is very hard to come by because pre-natal and postnatal depression are not often recognised.

It was great to see that Kevin Rudd’s vision for support will see all pregnant women screened before giving birth and after when the baby is approximately 2 months old.

Knowing that all new mums will have that support is comforting. What will make this package more comforting is to ensure no new mum is discriminated against. All new mums include single women, women who have private cover and women who can’t afford or who don’t have private cover.

This is definitely a plus for the health of new mums and their babies and families. A large number of women do suffer from depression during their pregancy or after the birth and knowing they have the support is great comfort to them and to everyone close to them.

We have heard of the baby blues or postnatal / postpartum depression but not many people discuss prenatal depression. Depression in pregnancy is possible and the awareness is growing.

It makes you wonder sometimes why prenatal discussion is not discussed as openly as postpartum depression and from experience, I believe it is because we are or were told that it is just our hormones playing up while we are pregnant.

In the past 6 months I have now heard of two young women who are suffering from prenatal depression and if caught early, it can be treated and help is there. Ladies, girls, if you feel you are suffering from prenatal depression, if you cry at the drop of a hat or for no reason or you are feeling down, then please talk to someone.

Talk to your midwife or your doctor and let them know how you are feeling. Prenatal depression is a silent form of depression that may affect and have an impact on women and their developing baby / fetus.

Some of the symptoms include, feeling emotional, sluggishness, foggy thinking, irritability and in some women, food cravings. Many women will blame the emotional changes on pregnancy hormones as I mentioned before.

I’ve given birth to 6 live babies and lost a baby through miscarriage and for each pregnancy, the emotions were certainly there. My youngest was born almost 20 years ago and no one ever mentioned prenatal depression during that time. Instead I had to live with those emotions and the feelings of depression.

If you feel you need help, please speak to your support person through your pregnancy. Speak to your doctor, obstetrician or midwife. Help is available for you.

BeyondBlue.org is another place to seek the help you need.

Toni Livesey