How Can A Health Visitor Help With Postnatal Depression?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  1. Educate yourself. …
  2. Sleep and eat properly. …
  3. Exercise. …
  4. Avoid making major life changes during or right after childbirth. …
  5. Let your feelings be known in the delivery room. …
  6. Enlist good support during birthing. …
  7. Prepare yourself well for childbirth. …
  8. Enlist household help during the postpartum period.

What are some factors that might affect the psychological health of post partum post natal mothers?

  • Have a personal history of depression or bipolar disorder.
  • Have a family history of depression or bipolar disorder.
  • Do not have support from family and friends.
  • Were depressed during pregnancy.
  • Had problems with a previous pregnancy or birth.

What mental illness can you get after having a baby?


Postpartum psychosis

is a serious mental health illness that can affect someone soon after having a baby. It affects around 1 in 500 mothers after giving birth. Many people who have given birth will experience mild mood changes after having a baby, known as the “baby blues”.

How can a health visitor promote positive outcomes?

Health visitors are able to provide practical help and advice to mothers on how to breastfeed, help with managing and resolving breastfeeding problems and building community capacity to support breastfeeding by working with communities to establish peer support and programmes.

How does a health visitor promote public health?

They

provide a professional public health service based on best evidence of what works for individuals, families, groups and communities

; enhancing health and reducing health inequalities through a proactive, universal service for all children 0-5 years and for vulnerable populations targeted according to need.

How do I cope with postpartum?

  1. Build a secure bond with your baby. Emotional bonding is the secure attachment that forms between parents and children. …
  2. Take care of yourself. …
  3. Slowly reintroduce exercise. …
  4. Build a support network. …
  5. Try psychotherapy and medication.

What happens if you take antidepressants while pregnant?

SSRIs are generally considered an option during pregnancy, including citalopram (Celexa) and sertraline (Zoloft). Potential complications include

maternal weight changes and premature birth

. Most studies show that SSRIs aren’t associated with birth defects.

Is anxiety common after giving birth?

Lots of people are aware that you can become depressed after having a baby. But

many people also experience anxiety during pregnancy and after giving birth

. In fact, it is common to experience depression and anxiety together.

What are the risk factors for developing post natal depression?

  • Past history of depression or anxiety, including during pregnancy.
  • Baby blues.
  • Family history of depression.
  • Lack of social support.
  • Poor partner relationship.
  • Preterm birth, infant health problems, need for neonatal intensive care.

What is meant by postnatal care?

Definitions related to postnatal care:

The care provided to women and their NEWBORNS for the first few months following CHILDBIRTH

. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021. (postpartal care) Providing care to a woman during the 6-week time period beginning immediately after childbirth.

What’s the difference between postnatal and postpartum?

Though synonyms, and essentially interchangeable, these two terms have different connotations. Both refer to the period after birth. However,

postpartum is correlated with the mother’s condition after birth, whereas postnatal relates to the baby

.

How can birth affect mental health?


Some women find their low mood doesn’t lift after the birth and they become anxious or depressed

. Around 1 in 5 women will develop mental health issues when they’re pregnant or in the first year after their baby’s born.

How does giving birth affect your mental health?


Up to 80 per cent of women feel teary, irritable, overly sensitive, moody or overwhelmed

after giving birth (often between day three and day 10 after birth). Often, changes in hormone levels are to blame and these feelings usually pass within a few days.

How do health visitors support children with additional needs?

They are generally responsible for supporting children from 0-5 years and their families, providing antenatal and postnatal support, assessing growth and development needs, teaching parents about the nutritional needs of infants and young children, encouraging the development of healthy lifestyles, reducing risks, and …

How do health visitors support breastfeeding?

Health visitors can provide practical help and advice to build community capacity to support breastfeeding by

working with communities to establish peer support programmes

.

How can health visitors help parents?

Your health visitor

helps you and your partner to learn about being a parent, and supports you to raise a healthy, happy child

. Health visitors work closely with midwives, practice nurses, and GPs. Your health visitor is a qualified nurse or midwife who has gone on to do further training (NHS HEE nd, NHS 2017a).

How do health visitors help children’s development?

Health visitors can visit you at home, or see you at the child health clinic. The service can provide advice and support on a range of problems such as immunisations, sleeping, diet and food, (for both you and your child) accident prevention, difficulty in breast feeding, toddler tantrums, potty training and many more.

What is the role of a health visitor in safeguarding?

Health visitors’ work mainly with families with under 5’s and their role involves

assessing children’s developmental needs, their family and home situation and supporting parenting skills

They are able to provide a range of practical help and advice to promote positive health and prevent illness and can advise on …

What skills do you need to be a health visitor?

  • an approachable personality, and the ability to get on well with and gain the trust of people of all ages and backgrounds.
  • excellent communication, questioning and listening skills, as well as the ability to interpret body language and other non-verbal communication.
  • sensitivity, empathy, patience and tact.

What does having baby blues mean?

About 80 percent of postpartum mothers have the baby blues, which refer to

a short period after giving birth that’s filled with bouts of sadness, anxiety, stress, and mood swings

. That means 4 out of 5 new moms report experiencing them — so chances are you will, too (and if you don’t, you can call yourself lucky!).

How do I feel better postpartum?

  1. Help your perineum heal. …
  2. Care for your C-section scar. …
  3. Ease aches and pains. …
  4. Stay regular. …
  5. Do your Kegels. …
  6. Be kind to your breasts. …
  7. Keep your doctor appointments. …
  8. Eat well to ease fatigue and fight constipation.

What is prescribed for PPD?

No SSRIs have been specifically FDA-approved for PPD. However,

paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac), and sertraline (Zoloft)

are examples of SSRIs that have been studied for PPD treatment.

Can you take antidepressants when breastfeeding?

Antidepressants.

Antidepressants in general are considered to be relatively safe for use during breastfeeding when clinically warranted

, and SSRIs in particular are one of the best studied classes of medications during breastfeeding.

Can fluoxetine be taken while pregnant?

Magavi points to research that indicates that fluoxetine, or Prozac, is

one of the safest antidepressants you can take during pregnancy and breastfeeding

.

Can fluoxetine cause birth defects?

In previous studies,

fluoxetine appeared to be linked with four types of birth defects

. In this study, researchers observed fluoxetine to be linked with these two birth defects: Heart defects with obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract. Craniosynostosis, a birth defect of a baby’s skull.

James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.