Fiona O’Connell works for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, who provide mental health services across County Durham and Darlington, Teesside and North Yorkshire and York. Fiona heads up the Trust’s specialist perinatal mental health team in North Yorkshire and York, who provide perinatal mental health services to mums who have experienced or are experiencing severe or complex mental health difficulties during pregnancy or in the first year after they have had their baby.
Speaking about the service, Fiona said: “Motherhood can be an exciting and wonderful experience, but we know that this isn’t always the case for everyone. One in 10 women will develop mental health problems during the perinatal period and it can be very difficult for women who feel unwell during this time.
“It’s so important that women have someone to turn to, as well as support and treatment to help them to feel better. Not only does this help their mental and physical wellbeing, but it also improves the mother-baby bond and wider family relationships.
“Our perinatal mental health teams work with women and their families in the community to make sure they get the support they need, when they need it. Women are referred to our service by a healthcare professional such as a GP, midwife or health visitor. We see women at home or in community bases, who are experiencing or have previously experienced severe and complex mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, bipolar affective disorder and postnatal psychosis.
“Some women may not be experiencing symptoms when we first see them, but if they have done previously then they can be at an increased risk of their symptoms returning during and after pregnancy. Knowing this, we can put plans in place to support them if they were to become unwell again.”
Sarah is a mum of two and accessed the Teesside perinatal service before becoming pregnant with her second child, having experienced postnatal psychosis after the birth of her son. “I knew following my previous illness that there was an increased risk of me becoming ill again, so I was referred to the service for pre-conception counselling, which really helped my husband and I with our decision to have a second child.
“I received further support from the perinatal mental health service once I became pregnant with my second child and the team saw me at regular intervals to monitor my mental wellbeing and put plans in place should I become unwell again.
“It was a little bit like having a midwife for your mental health, but the support wasn’t just for me, they also helped my husband, who was quite nervous about me getting ill again. He could attend the appointments with me, which we both found really helpful.
“Thankfully, this time I stayed well during my pregnancy but it was good to know the support was there had the situation been different. I was so impressed by the service that I have become a peer support worker with the Teesside team. It’s good to know that I can use my personal experience to help and support others through what can be an extremely difficult time.”
Fiona says:
“Not all women may be experiencing severe or complex mental health problems; if you feel you are struggling in any way we would recommend you speak to your GP or healthcare professional straight away. There is a variety of support available, as well as useful self-help guidance that you can be signposted to.
“If your GP or healthcare professional feels you could benefit from a perinatal mental health service they can make a referral for you. No one should feel alone or ashamed of how they are feeling and services and teams like ours are here to make things easier for women and their families.”
To find out more about TEWV perinatal mental health services visit www.tewv.nhs.uk/services/perinatal-services