What is explored in this leaflet?

  1. Introduction.
  2. What is a Pre-Birth mental health care plan?
  3. Who will see my Pre-Birth mental health care plan?
  4. A brief list of information that will be included/discussed in the plan.
  5. What to do if you do not wish to attend?

Welcome to your Perinatal Pre-Birth Mental Health Birth Plan

As part of your pre-birth mental health care plan with the perinatal mental health service, you will receive a mental health pre-birth, care planning meeting. 

The meeting is usually held between 30 and 32 weeks gestation. 

The perinatal pre-birth mental health care plan is agreed to ensure women, birthing people and their family have - the care and support they need during the remainder of their pregnancy, maternity admission for the birth of their baby and for the early postnatal period (6-12 weeks).

What is a pre-birth mental health care planning meeting?

The purpose is to ensure that women and birthing people who have experience of current or previous sever mental health difficulties, and their families, have the best possible care, support and outcomes. 

Having a pre-birth planning meeting ensures the sharing of this information and the collaborative development of an individualised plan covering all aspects of the mental health care during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. 

The meeting will be held with your allocated perinatal mental health practitioner and in some cases, a perinatal specialist doctor. This is usually if there is a diagnosis of bipolar or schizophrenia. 

The meeting can be held virtually or face to face. In some cases, this could be a telephone call if required.

We often suggest bringing your partner or someone that knows you well to your pre-birth mental health care planning meeting, as they can be best at noticing changes if your mental health starts to decline. 

Helping to ensure each woman and birthing person can be confident that all professionals have a shared understanding of their mental health needs during this crucial time, the reasons for any concerns or potential risks and also their strengths. 

It also ensures everyone has a clear understanding of the care that will be received in the weeks surrounding the birth of their baby, so everyone knows what to do and whom to contact if there are concerns. 

Who will see my pre-birth mental health care plan?

Once your mental health pre-birth plan is complete, this will be offered to you as a hard copy that will be delivered by post. 

You will have the opportunity to discuss your pre-birth mental health plan with your perinatal practitioner, before this is shared with your GP, health visitor, midwife and any other professional that may be involved in your care. 

We then advise that you keep your pre-birth mental health plan in a safe place, in order to take with you to hospital for delivery of your baby and ensure the information is at hand to guide family members attending and professionals involved in your maternity care. This includes information about your current pregnancy and your obstetric history. 

What type of information will be discussed and included in the plan? 

  • Mental health history
  • Current and historical risks
  • Relapse indicators
  • Current mental health presentation
  • Feeding
  • Medication
  • Current stressors
  • Other children and their support needs
  • Any safeguarding concerns (adult/children)
  • Professionals and their role within your care
  • Personal strengths and available social support
  • Physical health
  • Contraception
  • Crisis planning (should this be required)

What if I do not wish to attend a pre-birth mental health planning meeting?

We would advise that you speak with your perinatal practitioners, to discuss your concerns and other options that may be available to you. 

In most cases we would discuss with you what information we would provide to your maternity team in the event that you did not wish to develop a pre-birth plan, to ensure that any concerns or risks were supported. 

You will have the opportunity to develop a birth preferences plan with your midwife leading up to your birth. This will cover any obstetric need and preferred birth method. 

This is different to your perinatal pre-birth mental health care plan as your midwife and maternity team are much more experienced in this area.

We hope this information is helpful to you and your family however, if you require any further information or wish to discuss with a member of the team, please do not hesitate to contact us: