Looking after your mental health when you have a baby With more than 1 in 10 women developing a mental illness in the perinatal period, it’s even more important in these uncertain times that women during pregnancy and following childbirth are able to access the support and care they and their families need. It’s normal for new parents to feel overwhelmed and anxious at the best of times. Having a newborn during a pandemic can bring with it additional fears and anxiety. And that’s why it’s so important to look after yourself: Take care of yourself When you look after your body this will help to look after your mind. Make sure that you are eating well and exercising to a level that works for you as this will help to lift your mood, help with sleep difficulties and boost energy levels. Take one day at a time At the moment, it is difficult to know what lies ahead. With a new baby, days and nights can feel daunting and endless. And just as you have the hang of something, everything changes with a new developmental shift! When we are spending our days mostly in the home and not meeting up with other people, the days may seem even longer and more isolating. Try to focus just on today, and within that see if you can find the good bits amongst the tougher times. Make a note or take a picture of the things that have made you smile to help you through when it is feeling more challenging. Sleep! Sleep little and often if you can while your baby is sleeping – leave the jobs that can wait and if possible, ask others in your household to help out with jobs that need doing. Make space for yourself Carve out some time for yourself, even if it is just a few minutes with a cup of tea sitting by a window and looking at the clouds, or talking to a friend on the phone. Don’t be hard on yourself Remember, you are the person your baby needs and your baby won’t be worrying about the things that you are feeling like you’re getting wrong. It's OK to ask for help Ask for help from a trusted family member or friend – don’t feel bad about asking for help. It is hard at the best of times with a new baby, all the more so at the moment when it is not possible to meet up with friends, visit your family, go to a drop-in, or just go and sit in the park or a coffee shop for a change of scene. There's support out there for you Just because you are staying at home doesn’t mean support is not available. The specialist team at the Association of Infant Mental Health (UK) has written a factsheet for parents to help them in these difficult times: ‘Emotional Survival for Infants and Their Parents’ You can also find support at the following organisations: Perinatal Illness UKwww.pni-uk.com PNI UKwww.pni.org.uk/ Association for Post-Natal Illness020 7368 0868www.apni.org Royal College of Psychiatristshttp://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders.aspx Maternal Mental Health Alliancehttp://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org.uk Best Beginnings https://www.bestbeginnings.org.uk/ National Breastfeeding Helpline0300 100 0212http://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk/ Lullaby TrustSafer sleep for babieshttp://www.lullabytrust.org.uk CRY-SISFor parents of babies who cry a lotHelpline: 08451 228 669https://www.cry-sis.org.uk/ Family Lives (Parentline)Any aspect of parenting or family lifeHelpline: 0808 800 2222 Email support: [email protected]https://www.familylives.org.uk/ NCT HelplinePregnancy, birth and feeding your babyHelpline: 0300 330 0700https://www.nct.org.uk/ BlissFor parents of babies born early or sick Email support: [email protected]https://www.bliss.org.uk/ Child Bereavement TrustFor parents of babies who die Helpline: 0800 02 888 40https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ Contact For families with a disabled childHelpline: 0808 808 3555https://contact.org.uk/ Down’s Syndrome AssociationFor people with Down's Syndrome, parents and families Helpline: 0333 1212 300https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/ Multiple Births FoundationMultiple Births Twins TrustFor parents of twins, triplets and moreHelpline: 0800 138 0509Email: [email protected]https://twinstrust.org/ GingerbreadFor single parentshttps://www.gingerbread.org.uk/ RelateRelationship counselling, support and information for all relationshipshttp://www.relate.org.uk/ One Plus One Relationship support https://www.oneplusone.org.uk SANDSStillbirth and neonatal deathHelpline: 0808 164 3332Email: [email protected]https://www.sands.org.uk/ Tommy’s – the baby charityPregnancy, baby loss, preterm birthhttp://www.tommys.org/ Refuge24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline: run in partnership with Women's AidHelpline 0808 2000 247http://refuge.org.uk/ Scottish Women's AidFor women experiencing domestic abuse24-hour free Scottish Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage HelplineHelpline: 0800 027 1234Email help: [email protected]https://womensaid.scot/ Women's AidFor women experiencing domestic abuse24-hour National Domestic Violence Freephone Helpline: run in partnership with Refuge Helpline: 0808 2000 247Email support: [email protected]https://www.womensaid.org.uk/