‘I hit a crisis point’: The warning signs a Gold Coast mum unknowingly ignored during pregnancy

After Tracey Tyley had her third child, she knew something was wrong. It was a problem suffered by thousands of new mums each year – and many are not getting the help they need.

Tracey Tyley did not know she was suffering from peri-natal depression and anxiety throughout all three of her pregnancies and struggled to reach out for help. Picture: John Gass

It is supposed to be the happiest times of times. But after Tracey Tyley had her third child, she hit a crisis point. She knew she needed help.

Ms Tyley was one of an alarming number of expectant and new parents who say their emotional wellbeing is not screened during pregnancy check-ups, or in the months after birth.

“I had a mix of post-partum depression, anxiety and intrusive thoughts, and it was slightly different after each (baby) but I didn’t seek help until six months after my third was born, when I really hit a crisis point,” Ms Tyley said.

“In the appointments I never had my midwife say, what about you, mum? How are you doing? Are you okay? And that simple question would have been huge.”

Ms Tyley said looking back on her three pregnancies there were warning signs that she ignored. Picture: John Gass

Gidget Foundation Australia found nearly a third of mothers were not screened for their mental health despite 99.8 per cent receiving routine antenatal care during pregnancy.

These checks have been found to largely focus on the physical health of the mum and baby.

Ms Tyley said despite the amount of training and education available for parents to prepare for birth, there was little warning of peri-natal mental health struggles.

“At no point did I go along to any kind of lesson or meeting and them say it’s very common to feel anxious, or have any of those mental health issues arise before (the baby) is born, but I also wasn’t prepared for them to arise after my babies were born,” she said.

Peri-natal depression and anxiety affects 100,000 parents nationally each year and in Queensland alone one in five mothers need clinical support for psychological distress or mental illness during that period.

To ensure new parents aren’t falling through the cracks, the Gidget Foundation has developed an Emotional Wellbeing Screening Program, which allows specially trained midwives to assess the emotional health of expectant mothers during an additional routine antenatal appointment.

The program is currently available in select hospitals nationally, including one in Greenslopes, Brisbane.

But it is set to be rolled out to new locations with a goal of 15 hospitals using the screening program by 2027.

“I think back and I had moments where I was like, I don’t want to say what thoughts I’m thinking, because they might take my baby away. They’re very real fears for parents,” Ms Tyley said.

“The more that everyone is aware and know the signs and symptoms ... it’ll just make it easier for the mums and dads to speak up, whether they’re pregnant or they’ve already had their baby.”

Program Manager at the Gidget Foundation Eliza Pike said it was extremely important to screen both the physical and emotional wellbeing of not just the babies, but new mothers as well.

Ms Pike said the continued roll out of support such as the Emotional Wellbeing Screening Program will help more mothers to understand the signs of peri-natal mental health. Picture: Supplied

“We can see that there’s some screening that’s being done early on in pregnancy, but we really need that screening to continue throughout pregnancy as things can tend to change for people,” Ms Pike said.

While the Queensland Government last month announced a $39m boost to peri-natal mental healthcare – including 30 new mother baby beds on top of the 12 currently located in Brisbane and the Gold Coast – Ms Pike said raising awareness and educating mums to spot the signs is the next step needed.

“We need to have an honest conversation about parenthood and to normalise this by saying that, you know, there are struggles involved with it, but there is assistance out there.”