Mental boost for mums-to-be
LANAI SCARR IT SHOULD be the most exciting time of a parent-to-be’s life: planning for the arrival of their baby. But every year in Australia 40,000 pregnant women struggle with depression during pregnancy and the first month of their baby’s life.
For many it is dismissed as mood swings and normal hormones during gestation, rather than an issue that requires help and support.
From today News Corp Australia can reveal a new government-backed free online resource and mobile app will be launched to help mums-tobe and new mums fight against the peri-natal black dog and learn skills on how to best cope when their babies arrive.
MumSpace will offer free access to evidence-based mental health support tools, apps, helplines and resources.
The MindMum mobile app will help mums track their mood, calm themselves with guided relaxation and plan enjoyable activities, learning strategies to improve their relationships and build confidence in parenting while on the go.
And a self-directed cognitive behavioural therapy treatment program for new mums and mums to be – MumMoodBooster and Mum2BMoodBooster – for women with, or at risk of, peri-natal depression will also be free online.
The program will send motivational SMS messages and advise participants when they should seek further help.
The suite of initiatives will be the first of its kind designed to help pregnant women manage their mental health during the peri-natal period
Experts say treating and developing skills to deal with depression and anxiety before a baby arrives will help prevent onset of post-natal depression.
AMA president Michael Gannon welcomed the move.
“It’s not all about medication. So many other things can be done to help other than medication,” he said.
“The truth is all health professionals should be screening for depression in every antenatal visit.” NATALIE Clarke, 33, is 30 weeks pregnant with twins and said there had been down times during her pregnancy journey.
Ms Clarke lost her mother a few years ago and has struggled with not having her around to provide tips and guidance through one of the most important times of her life.
“There have been a few nights where I’ve been quite upset and that’s been really hard,” Ms Clarke said.
“Being pregnant is so wonderful but sometimes it is a lot emotionally.”
Ms Clarke said there wasn’t a lot of discussion about perinatal depression prior to her falling pregnant and a resource like MumSpace would be “amazing”.
“There is a lot of talk about physical wellbeing during pregnancy and not a lot of focus on the mental side when pregnant. People can forget that sometimes being pregnant can be quite a lonely experience,” she said.
“I’m definitely keen to check these resources out, I think they will be amazing.”