As Sport Relief’s maternal mental health campaign gets underway today, it’s important to share our Parent Tips on Emotional Health and Wellbeing for Mothers and Fathers.

If you’re a health visitor, please share these with your parents.

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Mood changes, irritability and episodes of tearfulness are common after giving birth. These symptoms are often known as the “baby blues”, which affects 50% of new mothers and usually lasts around 5 to 10 days.  More than 1 in 10 women develop a mental illness during pregnancy or within the first year of having a baby.

 

 

 

 

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Men go through a multitude of complex changes during the transition to fatherhood, making the postnatal period a particularly vulnerable time in a man’s life. Fathers can experience depression in the postnatal period resulting from the different demands placed on them. This is often known as paternal postnatal depression.