Pregnancy and Early Childhood within Psychological Therapies
Both Manchester Psychological Therapies Service and Self Help Services recognise that pregnancy and early parenthood can be both an exciting and overwhelming time. Becoming a parent is a major life change, with role changes and a mixture of emotions.
As many as 1 in 5 women can experience emotional difficulties and 1 in 3 new fathers/partners are concerned about their mental health during this time. This can happen to anyone. It is not your fault.
Asking for help doesn’t mean you can’t cope or can’t care for your child and it is very rare that children are taken away from their parents but it is the start of getting the right help to ensure you can be the parent you want to be.
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Our services aim to keep both parents and the infant in mind, making our services as accessible as possible with appointment flexibility, locations in family friendly venues and priority for assessment and treatment. Our service welcomes and prioritises individuals who are pregnant, or parents with children under 2, including mums, dads and same sex partners.
If you feel that you’re struggling, you can ask your GP to refer you to Self Help Services, or refer yourself. They will talk to you, and arrange an assessment with you, to see how best we can help.
Common myths about pregnancy and parenting
Myth 1: Pregnant women are deliriously happy and never get depressed
Myth 2: It’s just the ‘baby blues’, I’m fine
Myth 3: If I’m diagnosed with a mental health issue, my baby will be taken away from me
Myth 4: If I tell anyone about my mental health worries, they will think I’m a failure, a bad parent or that I don’t love my baby
Myth 5: Mental health problems only affect certain people
Myth 6: I will be forced to take medication
Myth 7: I’m the only one who feels this way
Myth 8: Only mums suffer from mental health issues like postnatal depression
Myth 9: There’s nothing I can do to help a parent I know experiencing mental health issues
Myth 10: I’m never going to feel better
Pregnancy and Early Childhood Resources
You may find the resources on this page a helpful start to getting the support you need: https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/pregnancy-resources