Maternity: Emotional Wellbeing for Maternity Patients
Emotional Wellbeing for Maternity Patients
In a first for private hospitals in Australia, North Shore in association with the Gidget Foundation and the nib foundation, has developed an Emotional Wellbeing Program for all pregnant women.
Emotional wellbeing of new parents has often been overlooked in the past, yet nearly 20% of women and 10% of men experience anxiety and / or depression during pregnancy or after their baby is born. Symptoms can range from insomnia, anxiety, inability to care for the baby, despondency and depression. Many women find that during their pregnancy much of the focus during antenatal visits is directed towards their physical health and that of their baby. Some women feel they don’t get the chance to talk about their feelings.
The Emotional Wellbeing Program is a simple and effective questionnaire that looks for signs of perinatal anxiety and depression commonly known as post natal depression. The questionnaire also provides information to help reduce mental health issues during pregnancy and after the birth of your child.
Pregnant women booked to have their baby at North Shore Private Hospital will now be offered the opportunity to have an extended chat about how they are feeling with one of our professionally trained ‘Gidget’ midwives. This individual session will provide you with the chance to have an informal discussion and will answer some questions about your expectations for pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. It is a great opportunity for you to talk about your emotional wellbeing with a trained midwife and provide you with a chance to gauge your own wellbeing and support options that suit you should you need them.
Appointments are available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9am and 5pm. Please phone 0414 419 655 during business hours to make an appointment.
Here is some additional support information:
External links
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- Specialists
