Pandemic linked to increase in mental health referrals for new mums in Dorset
Dorset mums felt 'non-essential' during the pandemic
New mums in Dorset have told of how they felt 'non-essential' during the pandemic.
Now midwives are talking about the 'nuclear fallout' of the pandemic with more mums needing mental health support before and after giving birth.
They say restrictions that prevented partner's being present at screenings and at the birth until established labour are now being paid for.
One mum told Greatest Hits Radio Dorset anonymously:
"I felt extra vulnerable as my partner couldn't be present at my routine appointments, especially after having miscarriage and he was not allowed to come to our first scan."
The restrictions were brought in at the height of the pandemic to prevent coronavirus from spreading.
It also meant that antenatal classes and other group sessions weren't able to go ahead in person, which midwives say lead to increased isolation surrounding mums-to-be.
Charity the National Childbirth Trust says the impact of Covid-19 has left many mothers across England struggling, and has called for them to have more support.
NHS Digital data reveals there were around 250 open referrals to a perinatal mental health team in the NHS Dorset CCG area at the end of January.
That was up from 175 a year earlier, although it was fewer than the 270 recorded at the end of December.
A woman can have more than one referral into services at a given time.
Andrea Chrustawczuk is a registered midwife and psychotherapist at Dorset County Hospital.
She said:
"There was no guidelines for women, they were in the dark trying to cope with the vulnerability of being pregnant. When you're vulnerable you need the ones you love close by.
"There was a massive overall feeling of isolation and of not knowing what to do or where to go, or how to deal with such exterme anxiety, which then had an effect on their physical health, not just their mental health, of not sleeping, not eating, too scared to go out."
But Andrea says that the pandemic's brought to light just how much care mothers need.
"I think the pandemic heightened the need of providing more holistic care to women, that emotional health and wellbeing is equally as important as the physical health and the wellbeing of the baby, and then that ripples out to the whole wellbeing of the family. They're inseperable.
"We need to offer a service that's much more holistic, and much more client centred and about choice and empowering women."