WHAT IS PERINATAL
HEALTH & WELLBEING?

Perinatal mental health and wellbeing focuses on the emotional and psychological aspects of a parent experiences before, during, and shortly after childbirth. This period can bring about a range of emotions that can be conflicting and confusing.  Becoming a parent can be both joyful and overwhelming!  It is very normal that parents will require additional support during this very vulnerable time of life.

Common difficulties experienced during the perinatal and early parenthood period which can impact on emotional and mental health and wellbeing include:

• feeling alone and isolated
• feeling unwell or uncomfortable in pregnancy
• feeling unsure in your confidence in parenting
• changes in relationships with partners, family members, colleagues, and friends
• income and financial changes and stress
• having a traumatic birth experience
• previous experiences with mental health challenges
• first time experiences with mental health challenges
• experiences with loss and grief (e.g. miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death)
• infertility issues and fertility treatments
• birthing and caring for multiple babies (twins, triplets etc)
• unwell or unsettled babies, including sleep and feeding concerns
• feeling suicidal or having thoughts of suicide or harm
• domestic and family violence concerns
• having concerns with use/abuse of alcohol and other drugs or other addictions
• previous or current eating disorders
• social concerns such as housing, employment, justice system etc.

Did you know:

• “Perinatal” includes both the antenatal and postnatal (up to 48 months) periods
• The First 2000 days refers to a child’s life from aged 0-5 years
• 80% of women will experience “baby blues”
• 1:10 women experience depression in pregnancy
• 1:5 women experience postnatal depression
• 1:20 new fathers experience postnatal depression
• 1:500 women will experience postnatal psychosis
• 1:3 women consider their birth experiences are traumatic
• Suicide a leading cause of Maternal Death in Queensland
• 50% of new parents will experience adjustment disorders
• 92% of couples experience conflict in the 12 months after having a baby
• The perinatal period is arguably, one of the most vulnerable times of life
• Adverse Childhood Experiences is a study about how early life experiences impact lifelong health outcomes.

For helpful and informative fact sheets, we recommend heading over to our friend’s websites at:

PANDA www.panda.org.au

The Gidget Foundation:  www.gidgetfoundation.org.au

COPE:  www.cope.org.au