A Better Approach to Perinatal Mental Health
The perinatal period—spanning pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum experience—is one of the most transformative phases in a person’s life. However, it can also be a time of significant mental health challenges. Many individuals struggle with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues that are often overlooked or misunderstood.
Unfortunately, traditional perinatal mental health care systems are fragmented, and individuals frequently have to navigate separate systems for physical and mental health support. To address these gaps, I’ve been developing a feminist-oriented, anti-oppressive perinatal mental health care framework—a comprehensive approach that empowers individuals, integrates care, and acknowledges the impact of social and cultural factors on mental health.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the key principles of this framework and explain how it can transform the way we approach mental health care during pregnancy and postpartum. It’s about building a more inclusive, compassionate, and empowering system of care that better serves everyone.
The Key Pillars of Feminist, Empowering Perinatal Mental Health Care
To create a more supportive perinatal mental health care system, I’ve outlined four core principles: Feminist-Oriented, Anti-Oppressive Care, Integrated Care, Empowerment, Connection, and Education. These pillars work together to address the mental, emotional, and social challenges faced by perinatal individuals. Let’s dive into each of these pillars.
1. Feminist-Oriented, Anti-Oppressive Care: Centering the Individual's Experience
A feminist-oriented, anti-oppressive approach isn’t just one part of this framework—it’s the foundation that ties everything together. This approach centers the lived experiences of individuals and recognizes that mental health during pregnancy and postpartum is deeply influenced by social, cultural, and systemic factors. Whether it’s gender, race, class, or other aspects of identity, the social location of a perinatal person impacts their experience and access to care.
In practical terms, feminist-oriented care means:
Creating spaces where individuals feel heard, validated, and empowered to share their unique experiences.
Acknowledging and addressing systemic oppression that impacts mental health—whether it’s gendered expectations, racial discrimination, or class-based barriers.
Trauma-informed care that honours personal autonomy and encourages informed decision-making.
2. Integrated Care: Coordinating Mental and Physical Health
In most current healthcare systems, perinatal mental health care is treated separately from physical care. Individuals often have to navigate multiple systems—one for obstetric care and another for mental health. This fragmentation can leave people feeling overwhelmed and under-served.
Integrated care offers a solution by bringing together mental, emotional, and physical health services. A coordinated, multidisciplinary approach ensures that individuals receive all the support they need in one place, making it easier to access care when they need it most.
Integrated care can look like:
Collaborative care teams that include doctors, midwives, therapists, social workers, and other specialists.
Shared physical spaces where people can access both medical and mental health services in one location.
Timely access to care by ensuring that mental health screenings are part of regular perinatal visits.
By breaking down these silos, integrated care leads to better mental health outcomes and reduces the barriers to accessing care.
3. Empowered Care: Fostering Strength and Resilience
One of the most important aspects of this framework is empowerment. In a feminist approach to care, we focus on empowering individuals to take charge of their own mental and emotional well-being. This means shifting from a focus on pathology to a more holistic view that emphasizes prevention, resilience, and self-efficacy.
Empowered perinatal care might look like:
Offering preventative care that teaches coping strategies, self-care, and ways to manage stress and anxiety.
Strengthening social support networks by connecting individuals with family, friends, and community groups.
Encouraging realistic expectations and rejecting the pressure to “do it all” perfectly during pregnancy and postpartum.
This approach helps individuals feel more confident in their ability to navigate this transformative period and prevents the stigma that often surrounds perinatal mental health challenges.
4. Connected Care: Building a Supportive Network
The saying “it takes a village” has never been more true than during the perinatal period. Unfortunately, in modern society, many new parents feel isolated, especially if they’re struggling with mental health issues. This isolation can exacerbate feelings of stress and anxiety.
Connected care focuses on the importance of relationships and community support. It’s about moving away from the idea that perinatal individuals are solely responsible for their mental health and instead recognizing that care should involve a person’s entire support system.
This pillar might involve:
Including partners and family members in counselling sessions or care planning.
Allowing postpartum individuals to bring their babies to therapy or appointments.
Encouraging community and peer support groups for those navigating the same challenges.
Building these supportive networks can help reduce isolation, improve mental health, and create a sense of shared responsibility.
5. Educated Care: Knowledge is Power
Finally, education is critical to ensuring that individuals and their support networks have the knowledge they need to navigate perinatal mental health care. Lack of awareness about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) can delay care or cause individuals to dismiss their symptoms as "normal" when they are not.
Educated care ensures that individuals:
Have clear, accurate information about what to expect emotionally during pregnancy and postpartum.
Understand the signs and symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Feel empowered to advocate for themselves and seek help if they need it.
This is especially important when healthcare providers may not always be trained to recognize mental health concerns during the perinatal period. Educating both patients and care providers can improve early identification and intervention.
Why This Framework Matters: A Better Approach to Perinatal Mental Health
This framework for perinatal mental health care offers a more holistic, inclusive, and empowering way of supporting individuals during one of the most transformative times in their lives. By emphasizing integrated care, empowerment, community connection, and education, we can create a system that not only addresses mental health concerns but also promotes overall well-being and resilience.
The goal is to create a supportive environment where perinatal mental health care is seen as an essential part of the whole-person care experience, not just something to address after a crisis arises. By creating spaces that honor individual needs and experiences, we can build a perinatal care system that truly empowers individuals to thrive, not just survive, during this critical time.
Final Thoughts: Moving Toward a Better Future for Perinatal Mental Health
This framework is still evolving, but it’s a call to action for a more inclusive, compassionate, and effective perinatal care system. A system that doesn’t just focus on the physical aspects of pregnancy and postpartum but recognizes the importance of mental and emotional well-being as integral to overall health. If you’re a healthcare provider, mental health professional, or anyone who works with pregnant or postpartum individuals, I hope this framework inspires you to think about how you can offer more supportive, empowering care in your own practice. Everyone deserves to thrive during this transformative life stage—and it’s up to all of us to make that possible.