News

| Email | Print

Categories

From Playpen to Zen > Mums on the Go - Shining a light on Perinatal & Post Natal Depression
By Calli Brown
October 1, 2010

Mums on the Go is here to help you value your needs as much as you value your children's. The aim of the site is to be a place where you come to for support and nurture. As part of this, we want to shine the spotlight on Post Natal Depression.

Over the next couple of weeks we will publish a series of articles that include video interviews with one of Sydney's pre-eminent perinatal and post natal Psychiatrists. Her name is Prof Marie-Paule Austin, and she is St John of God Hospital's Chair of Perinatal and Women's Mental Health, and she is also a Consultant Psychiatrist to Royal Hospital for Women.

This first article focuses on increasing awareness of Post Natal Depression symptoms, and we will be hearing from Prof Austin about how important it is that mother and baby stay together when Mums are receiving intensive treatment for PND.

Part 1: Perinatal & Post Natal Depression: An Introduction

"Life wasn't meant to be easy, but take courage my child; because it can be delightful!"

For me, this phrase is an apt description of the early days of motherhood, and I wonder if George Bernard Shaw first uttered the sentence to his wife after the birth of their first child.

Having a baby isn't easy, but can be delightful. However, many mothers aren't able to access the delight of their new role as they maybe suffering from post natal depression, or issues related to perinatal mental health. (the term Perinatal covers conception to your child's 1st Birthday).

This introduction to Perinatal & PND is to help ascertain if you, or someone you know, is at risk of post natal depression, or just experiencing the normal adjustment pressures of becoming a new Mum.

We are focusing on the Mother and Baby unit at the St John of God Hospital located in Burwood. It is the ONLY mother and baby post natal and perinatal depression unit in the State.

According to their website www.beatbabyblues.com.au the signs of post natal depression are:

Feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, loneliness or isolation
A sense of panic and / or hopelessness
An inability to cope
Sleep and appetite disturbances
Exhaustion
Distressing or unusual thoughts

If you are experiencing these symptoms, the first thing you could do is this assessment found on the beat baby blues website.

Another first action is to ring your GP. Alternatively, you can also ring St John of God and talk to them directly. Their number is (02) 9715 9200

It can be extraordinarily daunting to contemplate seeking intensive help for PND. We want to help strip that fear away by finding out what happens when you are a patient at St John of God. Here is Professor Marie-Paule Austin, St John of God Chair Perinatal & Women's Mental Health talking about what you can expect when you are an inpatient (and I imagine other inpatient mental health hospitals have similar programs)

As mentioned above, incredibly, St John of God is the ONLY mother and baby unit in NSW. Professor Marie-Paule Austin talks about why it is important to keep Mum and Bub together when Mums is receiving help:

With the research now available about the importance of mothers and babies having secure attachments, it is incredulous that no other hospital offers a mother and baby unit. An important issue we need to make you aware of is the accessibility of such a vitally important service. As Prof Austin outlines, St John of God is a private facility.

We sincerely hope this article with the videos has been a helpful resource for you.
Part 2 of this series will focus on "We Need to Talk" - how to talk to a friend you suspect of having PND.

Calli Brown, Co-founder, Mums on the Go www.mumsonthego.com.au

Directory Members Search Widget

City

Location