Information about perinatal mental health, including symptoms, potential treatments, useful tips you can try now and into the future, and how to seek professional help.
Emotional Wellbeing
Let’s talk about perinatal mental health
Overview
Perinatal mental health refers to emotional and psychological wellbeing during pregnancy (antenatal) and after birth (postnatal). A range of experiences can occur, including:
- Perinatal anxiety
- Perinatal depression
- Panic or intrusive thoughts
- Birth-related trauma
- Adjustment difficulties and identity shifts
These experiences can affect birthing parents, non-birthing parents, and caregivers. Symptoms may begin during pregnancy or emerge months after birth, sometimes catching people by surprise.
Symptoms
What you might experience
Perinatal mental health difficulties look different for everyone. While experiences vary, some common signs include:
Persistent worry or fear
Excessive anxiety about the baby’s health, your own health, or your ability to cope.
Low mood or numbness
Feeling flat, disconnected, tearful, or overwhelmed most of the time.
Intrusive thoughts
Unwanted, distressing thoughts or images that feel frightening or out of character.
Changes in bonding
Difficulty feeling connected to your baby, or feeling guilt or shame about how you “should” feel.
Heightened irritability or overwhelm
Feeling easily triggered, emotionally reactive, or unable to rest even when given the opportunity.
Treatments
What Works: Treatments with Backup
Perinatal therapy is grounded in safety, compassion, and practical support. Therapy aims to understand your experience within the context of hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, identity shifts, and relational dynamics.
Approaches may include:
- CBT to address anxiety, panic, or intrusive thoughts
- Attachment-informed therapy to support bonding and relational changes
- Trauma-informed therapy for birth trauma or previous loss
- Schema or psychodynamic therapy to explore how earlier experiences may be activated during the perinatal period
Therapy often includes normalisation, psychoeducation, and strengthening support systems alongside emotional processing.
Tips & Tricks
Try for today
Let’s focus on what you can do right now, manageable and simple strategies that can help you navigate through the day. Here are some suggestions for “Try for today”:
Tips & Tricks
Try for tomorrow
Now, let’s focus on what you can do to grow and feel more yourself. Here we share some proactive strategies and resources that can help you not just survive, but thrive, as your journey.
Seek Help
When to seek professional help
If distress is persistent, worsening, or interfering with daily functioning or bonding, professional support is strongly recommended. Perinatal mental health difficulties are common and highly treatable. A psychologist trained in perinatal therapy can provide support tailored to this unique and sensitive life stage. You deserve care during this time too.
Dr Nina Quin
Clinical Psychologist
Nina is an AHPRA-registered Clinical Psychologist, and is dedicated to helping individuals lead fulfilling lives. Learn more about Dr Nina
