Hi. This is all very theoretical at the moment, but I’d really appreciate some advice. I’m bipolar and my DH and I are talking about starting our family. My psychiatrist is supportive, and thinks that I can do this, with the proper planning. I would be staying on medication and hopefully all will go well. One thing DH and I have been talking about is childcare. I would quite like to go back to work, at least part time, and obviously DH needs to work and will be away fairly regularly (although not for more than a few days at a time).
Now, it’s entirely possible (indeed, this is what we’re hoping for) that I will be absolutely stable through my pregnancy and will cope brilliantly with a small child, but it’s also obviously possible that I will become unwell in the future (I’m also aware that childbirth is a tricky time for bipolar and I’m statistically more likely to have a relapse), and what I’m wanting to ask is whether this is something that will stop us being able to get childcare help, or if there is any specialist help that anyone knows about. I am guessing that an au pair would be right out, in case I did get ill (I think probably I wouldn’t want to inflict that on a young person who might be a long way from home and could be quite vulnerable) but I don’t know if there are any nannies out there who would consider working in a house where one parent was bipolar. Obviously, we would be upfront with any nanny at interview and would make sure she would always be able to contact someone if I did start behaving erratically in any way. I’m not asking for a nanny/MH nurse. I just want to know if the fact that I am bipolar would be enough to put a nanny off.