Who We Are
Most women feel that pregnancy and new motherhood is a happy time; another group of women find that they cannot feel happy at all. About one in five women have some level of depression in pregnancy, experiencing feelings of worry, loss of confidence, and don’t sleep well and become exhausted.
The Rotunda Hospital offers a supportive counselling service. The mental health support midwives offer support and information to any woman who needs it during pregnancy and following birth. Talking helps women to develop a sense of perspective about the situation and allows them to consider what steps they can take to regain a sense of control.
The support midwives work very closely with the consultant psychiatrist, Dr John Sheehan. Tell your doctor or midwife if you would like to meet the support midwife, or telephone 01 817 2541 for an appointment.
Mental Health During and After Pregnancy
When you feel depressed, it may seem that no one cares or that nothing else matters. We don’t usually know the reason for having a low mood or depression in pregnancy. If you have had depression in the past then there is a risk it will happen again when you are pregnant and afterwards.
A bad day is normal. A bad week is not. Talking to someone you trust is helpful. Accepting help early on means you could have a quicker recovery. If you are anxious about your pregnancy or the birth of your baby or had a previous difficult birth, then talking with your GP or midwife will help. If you feel anxiety or panic attacks are affecting your ability to do your normal activities then seek help early from either your GP or support midwife.
General Information: Mental Health During and After Pregnancy
Information for Women with a History of Mental Health Problems
Video Resources
Rotunda Parent Education Video on Mental Health
This video covers the advice given on mental health during pregnancy in the first class in our Parent Education course.
Rotunda Perinatal Mental Health Video - CALMER
Feeling anxious about the COVID19 virus or about its impact on your family, friends and the population in general is a natural response. If you begin to feel overwhelmed or your anxiety is starting to impact on how you live you can try to use this acronym to feel CALMER.
Me to Mum - Episode 1: Tuning In
Me to Mum’ is a series of videos where we will explore some of the psychological changes that come with the journey towards motherhood.
We hope to provide you with information and exercises to support your mental health during pregnancy.
This first video will focus on tuning into your baby, giving you some head space to think about what is to come and to prepare yourself for the wonders and the challenges that lie ahead. We encourage you to grab a pen and paper, just for some exercises that we are going to do during this session. You can download the worksheet here.
Me to Mum - Episode 2: Changes and Identity
This second video will focus on Changes and Identity.
We encourage you to grab a pen and paper, just for some exercises that we are going to do during this session.
You can download the worksheet here.
Me to Mum - Episode 3: Emotions
In this episode, we deal with; Types of emotions: threat, drive and soothe; The importance of balance between emotions; Naming your emotion; Exercise – soothing rhythm breathing
Mindfulness Exercises
A series of mindfulness exercises recorded by the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health team in The Rotunda