Asking for your thoughts.....

[rosabelle1]

Hi,
I am a midwife and I am interested to know the following:

What online resources/facilities would you find most helpful during pregnancy and the postnatal period, that aren’t already available?

Really interested to hear your ideas
Thanks

Post natal period there was a rating scale/ questipnaire my HV did with me for PND. I didn't feel depressed butnibwas struggling
The quwafuonaire phrased things in a great way. I had to rate of I was feeling those things sometimes, quite a.kit, always, never etc
Things like do I think about harming baby
Do I love.baby
Do I feel trapped
So I long for life before baby

The questions themselves, even before the score, was telling that.there was something wrong. It was a great tool
Perhaps it would be useful for mum's to have an online version you can complete online and at the end it gives you advice based on your score
Eg
Your doing great- keep doing what your doing
Discuss things more with husband
See midwife
Phone gp
Get immediate help

If we're on the theme of PND, I went to my GP to ask for help but saying I didn't want to take antidepressants. Yet that was all she could give me. So, if real therapists don't exist, I will say online CBT specifically targeted at PND.

The only place I was aware that I could go to was my GP.
The midwife visited for the first week and was clearly there to assess for physical post birth problems of both myself and my baby.
After that the health visitor bobbed in once, again, concerned with post birth problems but clearly busy, overwhelmed and rushed off her feet.
I suffered for many many months with issues that I could see absolutely no way out of.
No one had told me that these issues could be a possibility. I had no idea and felt utterly utterly tortured.
I visited my GP. Was offered antidepressants but no other solution or help.
I feel abandoned by those who could have helped and intervened sooner.
I do wish that I could have had a better relationship with my health visitor as she was standing in for the health visitor from my area who was on long term sick.
I wish I could have had a conversation with my midwife about things.
It was dire, they were dark dark days.