This section covers:
- Getting help on the unit.
- Getting help outside the unit.
- What happens next.
- Medication and breastfeeding.
This section covers:
It would be hard to go through such a life-changing situation without it having a negative impact on your mental health. The staff were amazing and so supportive.
If your baby is still on the neonatal unit, you can talk to the neonatal nurses or any other healthcare professional supporting you if you feel comfortable doing so. They are aware of the stresses parents face and how important it is to support you as well as your baby/babies.
Neonatal nurses can give you details of the support available for you in your unit. Some will have counsellors, psychotherapists and/or psychologists available for you to talk to. They will all be trained specialists who understand neonatal care.
If support on the unit isn’t available or right for you, you can speak to your health visitor about your options – supporting parents health is an important part of their role.
You might want to make an appointment with your GP. They’ll be able to talk through what you’re experiencing, and suggest options which might help you, including therapies and treatments (such as cognitive behavioural therapy/CBT or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing/EMDR) or medication.
If you are employed, you may also be entitled to free counselling through your Employee Assistance Programme or EAP. Talk to your manager or human resources to see if this is available to you.
If you have had thoughts of self-harming or suicide, get help right away. Contact your local A&E department, emergency GP service, call The Samaritans on 116 123, or text the word SHOUT to 85258.
Whichever healthcare professional you speak with, they will be focused on supporting you or funding support that is right for you.
There are many different types of treatment available, some of which may involve medication. You may be referred for therapy or counselling, or offered some self-help techniques, like mindfulness, which you can use at home. You may need to go for further appointments with a specialist.
If you are referred to a counsellor or therapist this will involve sitting in a room or online and talking about your feelings and experiences. This will be a safe, non-judgemental space for you to share and process what you are feeling.
If you are worried about the next steps, consider asking a friend or family member to come with you to your appointments. They can help ask questions and offer you support. It can be helpful to write down what you want to talk about before your appointment, such as how you have been feeling, and who you have spoken to already.
If you’ve had a baby in neonatal care, you might have found that this experience had an impact on your emotional wellbeing, but it can be hard to open up about what you’re feeling and get the support you need.
In this podcast, we talk to a mental health professional on the unit, along with a group of parents who have all experienced different challenges. They share tips on how to take care of yourself and how to reach out for help. Listen to the podcast here, or read the transcript here.
Many breastfeeding parents worry that being put on any medication such as antidepressants (like SSRIs – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) might mean they’re not able to breastfeed or express, or that they are passing on the medication to their baby in their milk. If you are feeling this way, talk to your health professional about your concerns – there are lots of different types of medication and they’ll use this information to help find the best one for you and your baby.
If you’d like more information on the impact of medication on breastfeeding, The Breastfeeding Network has factsheets compiled by pharmacists for various drugs and conditions.
The information in this section is due for review May 2028.
