What will happen with perinatal mental health ?

[jacksmannequin]

Does anyone have any experience of this ?

I've been told by a midwife today that she can she I'm not very well in myself and she thinks I need referring to the perinatal mental health team. She told me if they tell me i need medication then I should take it. I already have cbt but she said this will be useless as it's not maternity based.

It's anxiety and ocd I have. I have extreme anxiety around the baby and worrying something bad will happen to them.
I'm petrified of losing them.
I have had 7 years of secondary infertility, a mmc and suddenly got pregnant naturally. It's all been a lot to get my head around. I was also diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder after the mc. I think this contributes to my worries.

I just don't want anyone thinking I'm unstable and not able to look after my baby, because it's far from it. I just want my baby to be healthy. But I'm abit worried now they're going to think I'm not okay to look after my children. Could anyone who had any experience please let me know what normally happens ?
Thanks

This is a good thing OP. It's been spotted and extra support will be given to get you through pregnancy. Nobody is going to take your baby away because you're worried about losing your baby. Extra support will do you more good than anything else.

Thank you @gamerchick I'm just worried about everything atm and I've been totally honest from the start with the midwife's and doctors. I do know I need help as o can't go on the rest of the pregnancy worrying the way I am. It's exhausting, I want to enjoy this, I've wanted it for so long and been through so much to get here and I feel guilty that I'm not embracing it properly

I am currently In therapy for anxiety and ocd, and they are continuing my therapy post birth for this reason. My therapist is the loveliest woman ever and never judges. I wouldn’t worry about them taking the baby away, you’ll find they’ll want to change your mindset away from that to realise you aren’t an awful mom by far!

@Vimto1991 thank you for replying. Can I ask if they have recommended medication? I'm worried about this as I haven't been on anything for about 3 years and don't really want to go back on anything

I've worked alongside perinatal mental health teams, they really are just there to support you. However, it might not be right of your midwife to suggest your current therapist can't meet your needs. If your therapist is skilled, experienced and you trust them they may well be able to offer what you need.

A friend of mine was referred and was nervous just like you but she ended up finding it really helpful.

She went on medication after they told her the pregnancy hormones can make existing conditions worse. Just because you're on it for pregnancy doesn't mean you're always on it. She's still on it I think but early days.

@jacksmannequin no, no medication prescribed. I’ve been put on cognitive behavioural therapy where they’d rather teach you almost how to be your own therapist to help in future than stick you on medication. It’s supposed to be better as I will know coping mechanisms where if you were on medication and come off it you get thrown back to page 1. I self referred through the well being website for my trust, as soon as they learnt I was pregnant I was fast tracked onto this scheme, so hopefully your trust has something similar.

They referred me for exact same thing to perinatal.. perinatal was not very hands on sent me a letter saying if I want help then call a certain number. I didn't because the letter didn't feel very sincere at all but more like a check list ticked. Never been in contact since and no midwives mentioned it since either. Not very good but I wouldn't worry, they are really meant to be there for your peace of mind and not to judge and think your unstable. Use them if your team is good

I was referred when I was 7 months pregnant. I was suicidal and just couldn't function. I had a terrible pregnancy and these were symptoms of the medication I had to take to treat my physical issues. I was petrified. I'm a social worker and it scared me. I didn't need to be, they saved my life. They checked up on me after my birth but I didn't need them anymore so they closed.

Also to add they did want me on medication but I refused as it wasn't right for me. I didn't feel treating the issues I had as a result of pill, with more pill was right. It was against their recommendations but I knew it wasn't right for me. As an alternative they offered talking therapies, I had an OT who was great

Perinatal mental health are usually very good, although of course nobody can speak for your particular service. They will assess your needs this pregnancy and how you can best be supported. In sure your previous CBT will be valuable as you will already have a lot of the tools to help and they can help you to put them into practice for your current needs. They usually support you in making a plan for your pregnancy, the birth and beyond so that it is available for all professionals caring for you and if there are any needs that need to be catered for, for example needing a support person with you at all times after the baby is born, then these can be planned for and accommodated without you having to tell your story to everybody you meet.