Stasia had a lot on her plate. Her pregnancy with Ewa was a surprise, and she suffered with Tokophobia (a severe phobia of childbirth). Although she was supported by the midwifery team, she had been suffering from low-mood and anxiety, and her didn’t have a support system around her. She found being a mum very lonely, and she found herself only leaving the house for essentials, or when her partner was with her. On top of all of this, Ewa suffered from severe eczema which was impacting on her and Stasia’s ability to sleep.

During her 3-5 month visit from her Health Visitor, she was referred to our Perinatal Mental Health team. When chatting with the team, she became tearful and expressed that she worried what others would think of her for feeling this way.

Our Perinatal Mental Health team supported Stasia by scheduling fortnightly ‘listening visits’ which eventually went to once a month, where Stasia could talk to her Specialist Health Visitor about how she was feeling.During one of these visits, Stasia mentioned that she was keen to explore what medication could help her with her anxiety, as she was finding the physical symptoms quite draining. Her Specialist Health Visitor referred her to the central Perinatal team where she is due to have an assessment.

It was identified that it would be helpful for Stasia to get out in the community and meet some new people, so she was referred to the Mindful Mums and Babies group, and was signposted to some group walks with other families.

Stasia said of the help she received: “I have found the listening visits have been useful for her to express what has been happening for her and how she has been feeling. She has found that these sessions have helped to lift her mood. Receiving support with referrals to other services has also really helped as sometimes asking for help can be difficult.”