Mental wellbeing during pregnancy

Pregnancy, birth and early parenthood are times of great change.

During pregnancy most women experience a range of emotions. Your pregnancy hormones may make you more emotional than usual. You may worry about whether your baby will be normal and how you will cope with labour. It helps if you can talk openly about any concerns with your partner or a close friend.

Common concerns of pregnant women can be:

will my baby be normal?
worrying about labour
changing body, emotions and relationships.

Read more about pregnancy and new parents and visit Dear Mind for many ways to strengthen your mental wellbeing.

Depression and anxiety during pregnancy

Depression and anxiety can occur at any time in your life and can often come to the surface with major events like pregnancy or having a baby.

Around 12% of pregnant women in Australia experience antenatal depression (depression during pregnancy). The risk is higher if you have been depressed in the past.

It is important to keep a check on how you are feeling emotionally and discuss any concerns with your health professional. Let someone know if you are:

feeling low, anxious or tense very often
feeling guilty
feeling that things are hopeless
not enjoying things you normally do
crying all the time
irritable
finding it hard to sleep, concentrate or make decisions
wanting to harm yourself.

Read more on perinatal anxiety or find a health professional at Beyond Blue.

Mental wellbeing for partners

Partners share many of the experiences of pregnancy.

Partners also experience the worries, problems, pleasure, and the waiting. Sometimes partners may also have issues of their own to work out.

You can read and share information from Dad’s guide to fatherhood and Dads guide to pregnancy.

There is also information in many languages from the Multicultural Health Communication Service.

Where to get help

If you or someone you know is showing signs of depression or anxiety, there are places you can go to for help.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436

Beyond Blue – Pregnancy and new parents: 1300 224 636

MUMspace – support for the emotional health of new mums, at every step.

Prenatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA): 1300 726 306

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Mensline Australia: 1300 789 978

Sane Australia Helpline: 1800 18 7263

White Cloud Foundation: 1300 702 926

Black Dog Institute