What is pregnancy counselling?

With any pregnancy, whether it is planned or unplanned, there is an element of expected stress and anxiety. It can be normal to experience some stress during a pregnancy, however, in some cases these feelings can manifest as antenatal depression or other mental health issues. Pregnancy counselling can help expecting mothers with these feelings, and make their pregnancy more manageable. Pregnancy counselling will also be offered to women who have had miscarriages or abortions, or who have had traumatic births.

Why would you have pregnancy counselling?

The following are the most common reasons why pregnancy counselling would be recommended:

• Antenatal depression - depression experienced during pregnancy.
• Postnatal depression - depression experienced after giving birth, and can last up to a year.
• Traumatic births - complications during childbirth, or a birth that does not go to plan can cause trauma in women.
• Miscarriage – miscarriage can have a large emotional impact on the woman herself, and her partner, family and friends.
• Abortion - discussing pregnancy options can be part of pregnancy counselling for some women.
• Anxiety - feeling anxious about the baby’s health and being a parent are common causes of anxiety during pregnancy.
• Anxiety towards the birth – fears of having a difficult birth or your first birth can create anxiety and stress in pregnant women.

What does pregnancy counselling involve?

Pregnancy counselling will involve talking to a specialist in a private setting. The specialist will help talk through the patient’s concerns and offer support and coping mechanisms.

The specialist will use skills that include: 

• active listening;
• encouraging the pregnant woman to talk;
• asking questions, and;
• focusing on relevant issues that relate to the concerns of the patient.