Pregnancy and postpartum mental health

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Southeast Public Health does not provide mental health counselling or treatment

If you are in immediate danger or need urgent medical support, call 9-1-1. Support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Hotline in both French and English. Find other helplines here.

Contact local crisis services if you or someone you know needs help right now:

You deserve to feel better

Talk to your health-care provider if you are not feeling like yourself. Support, therapy, medication, and healthy living can help.

Perinatal Mood Disorders refers to a wide range of mood changes, including anxiety and depression, that parents may experience during pregnancy or in the first year after the arrival of a new baby.

Symptoms of Perinatal Mood Disorders are different for everyone. They may include:

  • Crying or sadness
  • Lack of interest in things you normally enjoy
  • Feelings of guilt, shame, or hopelessness
  • Feelings of anger or irritability
  • Constant worry or racing thoughts
  • Changes to sleep or appetite
  • Physical symptoms like dizziness, hot flashes, or nausea

If you are experiencing a Perinatal Mood Disorders:

  • Do not blame yourself. You are not alone in feeling the way you do. Do not feel ashamed or guilty for your thoughts and feelings. They do not make you a bad parent.
  • Ask for help. Talk to your partner, family, friends, and health care provider. Do not be ashamed of your feelings. Delaying help may delay recovery.
  • Take care of yourself. Try to rest, eat a healthy diet, and get some fresh air and physical activity.
  • Take time for yourself. Accept offers for help with household chores and baby care so you can have a break.
  • Get counselling. Attend one-to-one counselling sessions or join a support group with other parents.
  • Consider medication. Your health-care provider may recommend medication that is safe to use and not addictive while breastfeeding or chestfeeding.

Four out of five new parents will go through emotional changes after the birth of their baby. These emotional changes are known as postpartum blues or baby blues.

New parents may experience a variety of conflicting emotions – like feeling happy one minute and overwhelmed the next. Some parents may feel teary or sad for no reason, or experience changes in their eating and sleeping patterns.

The baby blues typically occur a few days after birth and pass within two weeks. If these feeling don’t go away after a couple of weeks, speak to your health-care provider.

It’s important to remember that during the baby blues, many of the feelings you experience are normal and may happen because of:

  • Changing hormones
  • Lack of sleep
  • Feeling uncertain about how to care for baby
  • Feelings of worry about being a new parent
  • Changing relationships

The most common symptoms of the baby blues are:

  • Mood swings
  • Frequent crying
  • Sadness, irritability, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed
  • Loss of appetite
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty concentrating

If you experience the baby blues, reaching out to your support systems, finding new supports, and getting rest can help to make you feel better.

If these symptoms do not go away after two weeks, speak to your health-care provider as the baby blues can turn into a perinatal mood disorder.

Ottawa Public Health shares information about postpartum mood from the view points of real parents, with additional information from health-care providers, in the video Postpartum Mental Health.

Non-birthing parents can also develop mood disorders. This is even more common if their partner is experiencing a mood disorder. Adoptive parents and parents who have welcomed children through surrogacy can also develop mood disorders and should watch for symptoms.

Having someone to talk to about how you are feeling is important:

  • Talk to family, friends, or your partner.
  • Speak with your health-care provider.
  • Connect with supports within your community.

View mental health services available in the Southeast Public Health region.

Southeast Public Health offers Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for pregnant and new mothers with babies up to 12 months of age, who have been feeling depressed, down, or anxious. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been found to be an effective prevention strategy that targets thinking errors, negative emotions, and behaviours. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on the interaction of thoughts, emotions and behaviours and has been found to be beneficial as a treatment of Perinatal Mood Disorders (PMD)

The Steps to Wellness program is free and is an effective nine-week, online, group-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy series where participants will meet weekly in the virtual group setting with public health nurses to learn skills, strategies, and tools to help them manage their depression and anxiety. The Steps to Wellness program will provide women with the skills and tools they need to manage the symptoms of Perinatal Mood Disorders and is of benefit to mothers and their families.

For more information, contact us: