Mental Health in Pregnancy with Tessa Van Der Vord

Pregnancy is a momentous time in a woman’s life, our bodies are dipped into a rollercoaster of hormonal changes and the physical and psychological adaption that takes place is huge. Mental health is thankfully being discussed more in pregnancy than in previous generations but there is still an air of taboo that surrounds this subject and it is so important we break those barriers down to support women.

On this week’s episode I am joined by fellow midwife Tessa Van Der Vord, who is a specialist NHS Mental Health Midwife and can be found on Instagram as @mentalhealth_midwife.

We are going to discuss the why’s, how’s and what’s of pregnancy mental health and help women realise they are absolutely not alone in any struggles they may face on this journey.

Tessa is a registered midwife and has been working for the NHS for the past 12 years. Prior to this, she trained as a midwife in Manchester and then moved home - working at a London hospital ever since. She has worked in most areas of midwifery but then settled into a specialist mental health post in 2016. In November 2020, Tessa gave birth to her first baby (Rupert - “Roo”) and experienced being pregnant and becoming a parent in a global pandemic. For many reasons, this journey was a huge learning curve for Tessa and it has had an influence on her practice in many ways. Tessa is in the process of returning to work and is really looking forward to working with pregnant people and their families again.

Some of the resources mentioned by Tessa are below:

https://www.medicinesinpregnancy.org

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/postnatal-depression-and-perinatal-mental-health/about-maternal-mental-health-problems/

Extra Stuff:

Follow Midwife Pip on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/midwife_pip

Check out Midwife Pip’s website - http://www.midwifepip.com/

Get access to my free courses → https://www.midwifepip.com/free-pregnancy-courses

Get in Touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwife_pip

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midwifepip

Email: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

Enjoy Listening... and don't forget to subscribe! 

Midwife Pip x 

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… See you on our next episode! **

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