Talking to your midwife, GP or health visitor
You can talk to your midwife, GP or health visitor, at any stage, about how you’re feeling. They will ask you some questions to understand a bit more about what you’ve been experiencing and discuss what support is available to help you feel better.
Any health professional you speak to should treat you with respect and understanding. If you speak to someone and don’t feel they understand, however, it’s OK to try speaking to another professional who makes you feel more comfortable.
You can find wide range of support in the MindWell Directory:
Key support services include:
- Baby Steps Antenatal Programme – Baby Steps is a group-based support service for families who need some extra support in preparing for the birth of their baby (on top of the Preparation for Birth and Beyond course).
- Children’s Centres – Based around the city offering support, advice and groups for local parents and parent-to-be.
- Forget Me Not Child – A dedicated service just for families whose baby has been diagnosed with a life-shortening condition.
- Leeds Children’s Centre counselling service – Children’s Centre counselling service provides free counselling for parents and carers of young children or those expecting a child. Services are based at Children’s Centres around Leeds.
- Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service (LMWS) – LMWS is a city-wide service that provides support and psychological therapies for common mental health problems, such as anxiety, stress and depression for people aged 17 and over.
- Pregnancy in Mind Programme – Programme for parents-to-be to try different ways of improving their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy.
- Preparation for Birth and Beyond (PBB) course – Antenatal education courses for first time parents, held at local Children’s Centres.
- Perinatal Mental Health Service (Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service) – A specialist service for women who are pregnant, or who’ve been pregnant in the last 12 months, or women who have or care for a child under 1 years old.
- The Teenage Pregnancy Team – The team offers information and emotional support specifically for pregnant women under the age of 19.
Support for more serious mental health difficulties
If you experience more serious mental health problems your midwife, health visitor or GP can work with you to decide which service is best placed to support you:
- The Leeds Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Team is a mental health service that supports some women with serious mental health problems in late pregnancy and in the baby’s 1st year. The service offers 24 hour in-patient care and support on the Yorkshire and Humber Mother and Baby Unit. The ward provides intensive care and support through a team of mental health nurses, psychiatrists and support workers. This is different from a general mental health ward as it means that the baby can stay on the ward with the mother rather than being separated.
Watch this video about inpatient care at the Yorkshire and Humber Mother and Baby Unit.
If you’re under 18 and experiencing serious mental health difficulties during your pregnancy, you may be referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). More information about emotional health support for young people is available at MindMate.