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Find out about common mental health problems during pregnancy, advice on things you can do for your mental health and information on where to get help if you need it.
Pregnancy can be a stressful time and can lead to problems with your mental health.
Some people can get depression or anxiety for the first time during pregnancy.
If you’ve had depression or anxiety before getting pregnant, sometimes your symptoms may come back when you’re pregnant.
Find out more about anxiety in pregnancy and depression in pregnancy.
eat a healthy balanced diet
talk about your feelings to a friend, family member, midwife or doctor
try to make time to regularly do something you enjoy
try to stay active as regular exercise in pregnancy helps boost mood and improves sleep
sign up for antenatal classes – these are a good place to get information, gain confidence and meet other people in a similar situation to you
be honest with your midwife, GP or any other healthcare professional caring for you about how you really feel – they’re there to support you
Support is available if you or someone you know are having a mental health crisis or emergency, no matter what you're going through.
Find out where to get urgent help for mental health
Depression and anxiety in pregnancy can often be helped with a talking therapy, like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Sometimes you may also be offered a medicine, like antidepressants.
If you need medicine, you’ll be offered the safest type for you and your baby at the lowest dose that helps.
If you are already taking any prescribed medicine when you find out you are pregnant, then you should tell your doctor or specialist as soon as possible. Do not stop taking the medicine until you have spoken to them.
You should be referred to your local perinatal mental health service if you’re pregnant and you have a long-term mental health condition, such as:
These services provide specialist mental health support for people during and after their pregnancy.
You should be offered regular appointments with a midwife with experience in helping people with your type of condition.
Content last reviewed by the NHS: 11 March 2029
Content last collected from the NHS: 07 August 2026
In response to service user feedback and in collaboration with parents, brief guides have been created to raise awareness of mental health during and after pregnancy. Please click on the links below to access these guides in English, Arabic, Bengali, Dari, Polish and Romanian.
For support, please see the Further Support section below.
You may also wish to watch the following videos. In these videos, parents share their real experiences of mental health during and after pregnancy, and how they found support when they needed it.
You can find care for your mental health before, during and after pregnancy.
Some charities and organisations offer support for mental health during and after pregnancy.
Clinical management and service guidance has some question ideas that might help you talk to your GP or midwife
Tips to support mental health during pregnancy and beyond
NHS
Best Start in Life - NHS
A Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme
Mental health before, during and after pregnancy Call: 0800 014 7800 from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, for free Email: midwife@tommys.org
Postnatal depression and perinatal mental health Call: 0300 123 3393 Email: info@mind.org
Mental health information and support
Mental health support for mums and families
Information and support for people who are pregnant following fertility treatment
Support for LGBT Mums
Support and guidance for Dads
Tommy's
Managing OCD in Pregnancy
Babies cry, you can cope
Support for parents with crying and sleepless babies Call: 0800 448 0737 Every day, 9am to 10pm
Support for parents who have experienced birth trauma Call: 0203 621 6338 Email: support@birthtraumaassociation.org
Support for people experiencing Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Support for people experiencing Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy
Information about tokophobia (fear of childbirth) and support
Birth Stories at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Birth Debriefs at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Birth Reflections at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
A website by parents for parents and parents-to-be
Non-directive information and support before, during and after antenatal screening
Support for parents of babies diagnosed with Trisomy 13 (Patau's syndrome) or Trisomy 18 (Edwards' syndrome)
Support for perinatal mental health, financial and practical wellbeing for parents with babies born prematurely
Neonatal Network South East
Information and virtual tours
Worthing
Mid Sussex
For perinatal mental health and bereavement support, Eastbourne
Bereavement support for families
Support for bereaved parents
Help to deal with grief
Support for parents who have experienced pregnancy loss before 24 week of pregnancy
https://cradlecharity.org/
Bereaved parents who have experienced Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Support for parents who have experienced an ectopic pregnancy loss
Support for bereaved parents of babies diagnosed with Trisomy 13 (Patau's syndrome) or Trisomy 18 (Edwards' syndrome)
Bereavement support for people affected by TFMR
Bereavement support for parents experiencing baby loss after infertility
Information for Dads on dealing with child loss
Support for bereaved parents, with dedicated support for Dads
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