Perinatal Mental Health

Mental Health in Pregnancy and Postpartum

Perinatal mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, are common and can occur any time during pregnancy, postpartum, or even before pregnancy in cases of loss or infertility.

Symptoms of depression or anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum may include:

• Fatigue, lack of motivation, tearfulness.
• Poor sleep, intrusive thoughts, irritability.
• Feelings of uselessness, overwhelm, and regret.
• Thoughts that your family would be better off without you.

Baby Blues

• Affects up to 80% of new mothers.
• Symptoms occur within the first two weeks postpartum, peaking around day 3-5 postpartum, provoked by rapid hormonal changes post-delivery in addition to sleep changes and lifestyle shock with the arrival of the new baby.
• People can experience episodes of feeling overwhelmed, tearful, anxious or easily irritated; however, in between these episodes, the baseline mood is still positive and joyful.
• Importantly these symptoms resolve within two weeks.
• If symptoms persist longer than the first two weeks, it may indicate postpartum depression or anxiety, so it is important to connect with your family doctor or maternity care provider right away if you aren’t feeling yourself.

Postpartum Stress Syndrome

• Falls between baby blues and postpartum depression/anxiety.
• You may function really well but feel significant internal distress marked by self-doubt and perfectionist tendencies.
• If left unsupported, it may progress into full-blow mood or anxiety disorder, so it is important to seek support from a healthcare provider right away if you are not feeling yourself.

Intrusive Thoughts

• It is very common to experience intrusive thoughts, which are distressing images or ideas, often about harm coming to your baby, affecting up to 90% of postpartum individuals.
• These thoughts do not mean you want to harm your baby or that you are a bad person.

When To Get Help

• If you have frequent and distressing intrusive thoughts or thoughts of self-harm, suicide, or harming your baby, you need to access help right away!
• If you find yourself struggling to experience joy in new parenthood.
• If you are not functioning like you once did (for example, not sleeping when baby is sleeping, not eating, not going out, not connecting with friends).
• If you feel overwhelmed and unable to function normally.

The first place to start is with your family doctor or maternity care provider. They can support you in feeling well. There is help available, and you will not feel like this forever.

Helpful Resources

• Pacific Postpartum Support Society (for those without a primary care provider)
• BC Women’s Resources: Reproductive Mental Health Services
• BC Mental Health Crisis Line
• Here to Help
• Mood Disorders of BC
• Period of Purple Crying
• LIFT Healthy Care Pregnancy Program

Free Counselling Resources

• Kelty’s Key (funded by VCH)
• Pacific Postpartum Support Society

Other Counselling Resources

• Perinatal Collective