Supporting Health and Wellbeing in Maternity Settings
With Sophie and Theo, Sociology & Mental Health Specialist
Key Takeaways
- It's woven through every interaction — a booking appointment where you screen for domestic abuse, an antenatal visit where you pick up signs of anxiety, a postnatal check where you assess mood as carefully as physical recovery.
- Antenatal and postnatal depression, anxiety disorders, birth trauma, and at the more severe end, postpartum psychosis — which is a psychiatric emergency.
- Midwives are frontline in identifying all of these.
- The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is widely used.
- It's a brief questionnaire that flags women who may be struggling.
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Full Transcript
Sophie: Welcome to Supporting Health and Wellbeing in Maternity Settings. I'm Sophie, and with me is Theo, our Sociology and Mental Health Specialist. Theo, what does actively supporting health and wellbeing look like in day-to-day midwifery practice?
Theo: It's woven through every interaction — a booking appointment where you screen for domestic abuse, an antenatal visit where you pick up signs of anxiety, a postnatal check where you assess mood as carefully as physical recovery.
Sophie: Let's talk about perinatal mental health specifically. What are the key conditions midwives need to be alert to?
Theo: Antenatal and postnatal depression, anxiety disorders, birth trauma, and at the more severe end, postpartum psychosis — which is a psychiatric emergency. Midwives are frontline in identifying all of these.
Sophie: What screening tools are used in the UK for perinatal mental health?
Why is supporting health and wellbeing in maternity settings important in midwifery practice?
Theo: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is widely used. It's a brief questionnaire that flags women who may be struggling. NICE guidelines recommend it's used routinely, both antenatally and postnatally.
Sophie: Domestic abuse is something midwives are trained to screen for. Why is the maternity setting particularly important for this?
Theo: Pregnancy is a point of contact with healthcare for many women who otherwise don't engage with services. Abuse often escalates during pregnancy. Midwives ask routinely, in private, using validated questions — it saves lives.
Sophie: Safeguarding sits within this too. What's the midwife's role when there are child or maternal safeguarding concerns?
Theo: Midwives have a duty to act on concerns. That means documenting carefully, referring to the named midwife for safeguarding, and working within multi-agency frameworks. The welfare of both mother and baby is the priority.
How does supporting health and wellbeing in maternity settings work in a healthcare context?
Sophie: Continuity of carer is talked about a lot in maternity policy. Why does it matter for wellbeing?
Theo: Knowing your midwife builds trust. When a woman feels known — not just a set of notes — she's more likely to disclose concerns, engage with advice, and feel supported through what can be a vulnerable time. The evidence for continuity models is strong.
Sophie: What about social support networks — families, partners, communities? How do midwives work with those?
Theo: Involving families where appropriate, providing information for partners on how to support, and recognising social isolation as a risk factor. For women without strong networks, signposting to peer support groups and community services is vital.
Sophie: Cultural sensitivity is also key in maternity care. How does that intersect with supporting wellbeing?
Why is supporting health and wellbeing in maternity settings important in midwifery practice?
Theo: Cultural beliefs around pregnancy, birth, and postnatal practices vary enormously. Effective support means understanding and respecting those beliefs, adapting communication, and never imposing a one-size-fits-all model.
Sophie: Theo, for future midwives listening — what's the most important thing to understand about supporting wellbeing in their future practice?
Theo: That the relationship is the intervention. When women feel genuinely seen, heard, and supported, their outcomes are better. Technical knowledge matters enormously — but how you make a woman feel in your care matters just as much.