Perinatal and infant mental health news and events

Events a-plenty!

Renae Hayward, Senior Health Promotion Officer, Women’s

Health Strategy and Programs

Hands up – who’s busy?

Well, I hope you at least have time to peruse this latest issue of

the perinatal and infant mental health newsletter because there

are quite a few things on the following pages you just may wish to

clear your calendar for.

October is a particularly busy month with three events here in

Perth (see page 5 for details) as well as the Australasian Marcé

Society Conference in Brisbane (see page 3).

Women’s Health Strategy and Programs also has its ongoing

calendar of events, with upcoming training in the Uses and

Misuses of the EPDS, Perinatal Anxiety Disorders and the

Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (see page 7).

November is also a busy time for those wanting to prepare an

event or activity of their own for Perinatal Depression and Anxiety

Awareness Week. If you are interesting in doing something this

year – even something small – during the week of 12-18

November (or thereabouts), please get in touch and we will very

soon send you out a toolkit to help you with your planning (email

Renae.Hayward@health.wa.gov.au).

Aside from all those opportunities, there are also some great

articles in this issue, including:

a special feature on premature babies and the experiences

of parents and families,

information on PANDA’s outgoing follow-up call service,

and

an article on the very useful ‘My community directory’.

Here’s hoping you all stay warm while having a read!

Issue 54 – August 2017

Inside this issue

1 Events a-plenty!

2 Premature Babies –

Experiences of Parents

and Families

3 Full Marcé conference

program now available

4 PANDA’s outgoing

follow-up call service

4 Research brief –

Postpartum mental

health of immigrant

mothers

5 Dadvice: How you can

support the campaign

5 Perinatal mental health

events for professionals

and consumers

6 My community directory

7 Training calendar 2017

8 Perinatal and infant

mental health resources

9 About this newsletter

Contact Women’s Health

Strategy and Programs

whcsp@health.wa.gov.au

(08) 6458 1795

www.wnhs.health.wa.gov.au

2

Premature Babies – Experiences of Parents and Families

Martine Friedman, Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychological Medicine, KEMH

The time surrounding the premature birth of a baby can be a time of crisis and trauma. It can pose

a range of emotional and practical challenges for parents and families. Pregnancy is a time of

mental preparation and imagining – regarding both parenthood and the baby as a person.

Premature birth means parents are prematurely ‘cut off’ from this process and are faced with

significant uncertainty. Parents may experience a range of emotions including fear, stress, guilt,

anger, shame and grief, and they attempt to cope in a variety of ways.

Some of the greatest tests for parents after a premature birth include navigating an overwhelming

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) environment, gathering and understanding information

regarding their baby’s medical problems and treatment, and attempting to regain some control

through sharing in decision making processes and providing care for their baby. Significant factors

influencing parents’ stress are the separation from their baby, being unable to feed or protect their

baby, and the baby’s fragile appearance. Parents must also watch others do most of the

caregiving, which can create a mountain of anguish.

Babies in the NICU can be more sensitive, less responsive, sedated or monitored by machines.

Parents may therefore struggle to see past their baby’s illness, making it difficult for them to get to

know their baby. There is often great fear of being unable to bond with their new baby, particularly

when mothers are unable to breastfeed and other modes of care are limited. Parents may also be

trying to process a traumatic labour and birth experience.

The family’s routine and usual mode of

functioning is often significantly disrupted.

Parents can experience an exacerbation of

feelings such as stress and guilt if they have

other young children at home who display

behavioural changes and are clearly affected by

these disruptions.

There are many competing demands placed on

the parents of a premature baby – who are

ultimately trying to manage all of these demands

whilst focusing on their baby’s needs.

What’s helpful for parents and families?

In the NICU, parents benefit from being provided with ample opportunities to ask questions,

express concerns, to share in decision making processes and to be as involved as possible in their

baby’s care. Validation regarding the wide range of emotional responses can be comforting for

parents who are struggling to navigate through an experience they did not envisage.

For parents, getting to know their baby can be gently supported through exploration of what they

have observed about their baby – the way in which their baby responds to them and in turn their

responses to their baby, and how their baby is developing and changing. Parents may also benefit

from normalisation regarding behavioural changes in their other young children and strategies to

support them, such as providing reassurance regarding the baby and hospital environment, and

creating quality time together each day.

(continued on page 3)

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(continued from page 2)

Encouraging parents to try to maintain their own wellbeing through seeking practical and emotional

support, as well engaging in self-care, means they can be equipped with the resources needed to

be available for their baby. Acknowledgment by all professionals involved of the significant journey

faced by premature babies and their families is validating for parents, who often continue to

experience an adjustment process following their baby’s discharge from hospital.

Families and health professionals can access an abundance of information and support options

from the following services:

• www.lifeslittletreasures.org.au

• NGALA – www.ngala.com.au

• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline – 1800 882 436

• www.gathermycrew.org

• www.rednosegriefandloss.com.au

• Department of Psychological Medicine, KEMH –

6458 1521

References:

Parents of Premature Infants: Their Emotional World (Ed.

Norma Tracey)

The Motherhood Constellation (Daniel Stern)

Full Marcé conference program now available

The full Australasian Marcé Society conference program, including workshops and breakfasts, is

now available online

The conference features a stellar line-up of globally prominent thought leaders in the fields of

perinatal mental health research and practice.

The program includes workshops, breakfasts, discussion symposium, case study presentations,

networking events... and more!

See www.marceconference.com.au/program.php for more information.

4

PANDA’s outgoing follow-up call service

Adapted from www.panda.org.au

Did you know that as health professional, you can refer clients/patients to PANDA’s outgoing

follow-up call service?

PANDA’s National Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Helpline is the only national dedicated

perinatal mental health service. Many families contact PANDA directly for support, but as a health

professional, you are also able to refer your client/patient to the Helpline by completing a Referral

Form (available online; interpreter service provided on request).

This service may be particularly helpful if additional support is required between routine

appointments or while your client/patient is on a waitlist for service.

Outgoing Helpline calls aim to assess what issues

might be occurring in the lives of expecting and

new parents, and to identify any risks to their

emotional or mental wellbeing.

Outgoing calls also aim to provide advice and

support in accessing appropriate services if risks or

issues are identified. Each caller is actively

encouraged to talk to their GP and family/child

health nurse.

For more information, or for a referral form, please visit:

www.panda.org.au/about/panda-programs/national-helpline-programs

PANDA National Helpline, open Mon to Fri, 9am-7.30pm AEST – 1300 726 306

Note: In WA, phone line hours are generally 7am-5.30pm and 6am-4.30pm during east coast

daylight saving months.

Research brief – Postpartum mental health of immigrant mothers

Renae Hayward, Senior Health Promotion Officer, Women’s Health Strategy and Programs

A study published recently in Archives of Women’s Mental Health has explored how rates of

postpartum mental health contact with services varies among immigrant women from different

regions of origin, as well as by their refugee status.

One key finding was that there was significantly more emergency department contact and

psychiatric hospitalisation for refugee women compared to non-refugee.

To read the abstract, go to: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/28378153/

Reference: SN Vigod, AJ Bagadia, N Hussain-Shamsy, K Fung, A Sultana, C-LE Dennis. (2017).

Postpartum mental health of immigrant mothers by region of origin, time since immigration, and

refugee status: a population based study. Arch Womens Ment Health. 20 (3), 439-447.

5

Dadvice: How you can support the campaign

Adapted from www.beyondblue.org.au

Want to get behind the Dadvice campaign, but not really sure how? Check out the campaign

supporter pack, available at the beyondblue webiste:

www.beyondblue.org.au/get-involved/campaign-supporter-packs/dadvice

Resources available include:

Dadvice videos

Background information on the Healthy Dads program

at beyondblue, including the research that informed

the campaign

Suggested Tweets and images to use on social media

Online community management strategies.

Perinatal mental health events for professionals and consumers

Health professionals and consumers are invited to attend a series of events to discuss the issues

around perinatal mental health in Perth this October 2017. Both government and non-government

organisations – Gidget Foundation Australia, Fiona Stanley Hospital, King Edward Memorial

Hospital and the Big Pram Walk – have formed a partnership to host a symposium, dinner and

workshop.

Symposium – Friday 6 October, 8.30 am – 4.30pm: "Building on Strong Foundations – Perinatal

mental health clinical practice into the future, one day symposium", Education Centre Auditorium,

Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch.

* More information available at www.wnhs.health.wa.gov.au/whcsp.php soon *

Dinner – Friday 6 October, 7.00pm ‘til late: Gidget goes West Gala Ball at Fraser’s Kings Park

announcing our partnership with Dr Leon Levitt and the Big Pram Walk.

* Registration and further information about the dinner available soon. *

Workshop – Saturday 7 October, 9:30am – 2.00pm including lunch: Gidget Foundation

Australia Perinatal Mental Health workshop for General Practitioners, allied health and consumers,

Agnes Walsh House, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Subiaco.

* Registration and further information about the workshop available soon. *

These events are also supported by the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE), Rural Clinical

School of Western Australia, Sexual Health Quarters, Baby Steps Health Centre, and the Raphael

Centre.

To stay in the loop on latest developments, ensure you are signed up to the perinatal and infant

mental health newsletter email list. You can sign up at www.wnhs.health.wa.gov.au/whcsp.php (go

to ‘Mailing list sign up’ on the left hand side menu).

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My community directory

Adapted from www.wapha.org.au

WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) has a unique role within the broad health and community

sector to facilitate access to the right care in the right place at the right time. WAPHA has partnered

with My Community Directory to lead the development and promotion of an online resource to

connect people and services across WA.

My Community Directory is an online directory of local health, social and community services.

Features and function within the site have been developed to connect people to and between

services, supporting three core users – Community Members, Service Providers and Service

Planners.

The Directory is free for Community Members to:

Search for services in a ‘place’, finding all listed health and social services within a

geographic area, using a search box or the location service on mobile devices.

Travel to services by using Google maps and ‘get directions’ functions within the service

listings

Find the next available GP appointment through Health Engine, with ‘Book Now’ buttons

included in the search results for general practices that use that booking system

My Community Directory is free for Service Providers to:

List their service and update that listing

Connect to other services for the benefit of their own professional networks and to support

connections for service users

See what other services are within a search area

Share page links and contact details via email or download pages as a pdf

For more information about My Community Directory, go to:

http://www.wapha.org.au/health-professionals/service-provider-support/my-community-directory/

To access the directory itself, go to:

www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au/Western_Australia

7

2017

Women’s Health Strategy and Programs

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health

Training calendar

Women’s Health Strategy and Programs provides training to improve the health and safety of

families in WA Health.

The Uses and Misuses of the Edinburgh

Postnatal Depression Scale

This training is designed to assist health

professionals and others in using the

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

(EPDS). Other ancillary questions have been

included to support health professionals with

perinatal screening.

Recommended for health professionals

working with families during the antenatal and

postnatal period.

Duration 4 hours

Perinatal Anxiety Disorders

This module is possibly the first of its kind in

Australia giving participants an introduction to

anxiety in the perinatal period. Prevalence

and the types of anxiety disorders will be

explored, along with engagement, screening

and treatment.

Recommended for health professionals

working with families in the perinatal period

including general practitioners, child health

nurses and midwives.

Duration Full day

Dates: Thursday 19th January,

Friday 9th June, Thursday 10th August, Tuesday

17th October

Location: KEMH, Subiaco WA,

Special Dining Room

Time: 9:00am – 13:30pm

Dates:

Friday 10th March, Tuesday 16th May, Friday 8th

September

Location: KEMH, Subiaco WA

Special Dining Room

Time: 9:00am – 16.00pm

The Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale

This new training module is designed to

introduce the Perinatal Anxiety Screening

Scale (PASS). Developed by the KEMH

Department of Psychological Medicine to

ensure early targeted intervention for women

with mood and anxiety disorders and reduce

the impact of disrupted parenting.

Dates:,

Wednesday 8th February, Wednesday 26th April,

Thursday 6th July, Wednesday 8th November

Location: KEMH, Subiaco WA,

Special Dining Room

Time: 9:00am – 13:30pm

Presenters are also available to provide

training at your workplace on request. Talks

can be tailored to meet the needs of your

organisation or group.

Training using videoconferencing available

for rural and remote regions.

Charges may apply in 2017

Please complete the registration form, available on our website: www.wnhs.health.wa.gov.au/whcsp.php (see ‘Perinatal and infant mental health training’ on the left hand side menu).

Participants will receive a confirmation email once their form has been submitted.

WHSP Perinatal Mental Health training is available to all Government and Non-Government health staff.

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Perinatal and infant mental health resources

Feature resources – from Kids Matter

KidsMatter is a mental health and wellbeing initiative for children. KidsMatter Early Childhood

works with education and care services to support the mental health and wellbeing of young

children, their families and early childhood educators using a promotion, prevention and early

intervention framework. A wide range of evidence-based resources are available on their website:

www.kidsmatter.edu.au/early-childhood/resources-educators-and-families

Pictured below are just four of the resources you may find useful and the links to access them.

Posters: www.kidsmatter.edu.au/early-childhood/resources-educators-and-families/posters

E-books: www.kidsmatter.edu.au/early-childhood/resources-educators-and-families/ebooks

Where to find some of our favourite resources

From beyondblue: www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/order-printed-information-resources

From PANDA: www.panda.org.au/health-professionals/fact-sheets-rsources

From Jean Hailes: https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-professionals/resources-order

Where to order or download WA resources

Find a list of our available resources here (including download only):

www.wnhs.health.wa.gov.au/whcsp.php

To order hard copies of the following, please email Renae.Hayward@health.wa.gov.au

‘Being a Mum’ / ‘Being a Dad’ pamphlets for Aboriginal families

You Are Not Alone: Emotional Health for Mothers (Ethiopian and Sudanese DVDs)

Boodjarri Business: Yarning about Feelings After Baby (DVD)

Boodjarri Business: Working with Aboriginal Mums, Babies & Families (DVD)

Care for your baby by caring for yourself poster (A2 or A3)

Act-Belong-Commit – Keeping Mentally Healthy: A Guide for New Mums / Dads

To order ‘Finding help before and after birth’, go to: www.health.wa.gov.au/ordering

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About this newsletter

Who can contribute?

This newsletter was predominantly created to celebrate successes and share information among professionals working in the fields of perinatal and infant mental health in Western Australia.

In the interests of information-sharing, submission of articles and other relevant content are invited from external agencies, including those from the non-government sector and other Australian states. Please note, however, that Women’s Health Strategy and Programs reserves the right to maintain editorial control, including the ability to decide the final content to be published and/or making editorial changes to content submitted.

If you would like more information about the submission process, please contact Women’s Health Strategy and Programs as indicated below.

Contact information

This newsletter was produced by the Women’s Health Strategy and Programs, Women and Newborn Health Service, Department of Health WA.

Please direct any queries via the following:

Email: whcsp@health.wa.gov.au

Phone: (08) 6458 1795

Web: www.wnhs.health.wa.gov.au/whcsp.php

Accessibility

This newsletter has been designed in a printable format and is circulated to a distribution list via email. Following distribution, it is made available at www.wnhs.health.wa.gov.au/whcsp.php under ‘News’. Upon request, the newsletter can be made available in alternative formats for a person with a disability.

Copyright

Copyright to this material is vested in the State of Western Australia unless otherwise indicated. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced or re-used for any purposes whatsoever without written permission of the State of Western Australia.

© Department of Health 2017

Disclaimer

The information presented in this newsletter is provided in good faith as a public service. The accuracy of any statements made is not guaranteed and it is the responsibility of readers to make their own enquiries as to the accuracy, currency or appropriateness of any information or advice provided. Liability for any act or omission occurring in reliance on this document or for any loss, damage or injury occurring as a consequence of such act or omission is expressly disclaimed.