Extreme anxiety

[cheeseandonionalltheway]

Does anyone else have or had extreme pregnancy anxiety? If I called the midwife or GP is there anything they can do to help or is it just something I have to put up with and deal with?

I had an abortion a couple of years ago (anniversary coming up this week) and feel something going wrong is my punishment for this.

Thanks for reading xx

Your midwife can refer you to antenatal mental health services, as can your gp. Your gp can also prescribe you medication and refer you to other services to help. It is absolutely not something you just have to put up with, I'd strongly recommend speaking to both your doctor and midwife and accessing the help available. If your midwife is anything like mine they will take your mental health as seriously as your physical health. I hope you feel better soon.

From personal experience, I would ask for help sooner rather than later, especially if accessing therapy/a counsellor privately is not an option.

I flagged my anxiety to my midwife at 7 and 16 weeks respectively but it was only at 16 weeks when, accompanied by other symptoms, I got a referral to perinatal mental health. Three weeks for a triage, two weeks for a home visit - I expect to be at least 22 weeks before I know what help I might receive, and potentially much further on before I actually receive any due to waiting lists. Completely understand the NHS is strapped for resources at the moment, but I would strongly recommend you flag it and ask for help sooner rather than later in view of how long it might take to receive any.

And for you - it sucks. I hope you feel better soon.

Tell your midwife ASAP. I developed depression and anxiety after DS1. Kept it to myself in until it became a really big thing. Mentioned it to my midwife with DD2 and was immediately pulled into the system. I can only say that they were completely amazing. Just had our third child and without the support and advice I was given, I'd definitely not be in this place now.

Just to add to my previous post, I had pnd after ds was born, I'm now 32 weeks with his sibling. Every single midwife appointment has started by assessing my mental health, mood and overall mental wellbeing. I've been offered additional mental health services a d signposted where to ho to get extra help. I've also had extra visits from the health visitor team, and will have more after this baby is born. They do take mental health very seriously and are very keen to help.

Your midwife will keep tabs on your mental state of affairs anyway so just flag it up early.

Mental health is taken very seriously during pregnancy and there are people you can chat to. Just do ASAP.

And you're not being punished - the anxiety might derive from that, sure, but stop putting yourself through it. One can't fix the past but you sure as hell can make one, bright future 😊