ABSTRACT
All families with a child under five years old have a named health visitor to advise and support the health and well-being of the whole family, but are best known for their work with mothers and babies. Although pregnancy and the birth are happy events for many women, some feelings of ambivalence and uncertainty are normal. A qualitative study into postnatal depression in 15 centres across Europe, the United States, Japan and Uganda found that, while new mothers recognised a state of morbid unhappiness as a common phenomenon following childbirth, this was not necessarily viewed as an illness. Women who feel depressed during the pregnancy may find it difficult to have their anxieties taken seriously and be told that all will be well after the birth. Women with a previous history of depression or psychosis are 50 times more likely to suffer from severe mental illness after having a baby.
