Don't stay mum over new baby concerns

Perinatal experts tell LISA SALMON new mothers should start to open up about the issues they often feel unable to reveal though fear or stigma

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BEING a new mum brings a wealth of urgent questions - and perhaps just as many things that are left unsaid.

Because while new mums will usually need advice about standard how-tos, such as getting a breast-feeding baby to latch on, encouraging them to sleep more and how often to feed them, there are plenty of aspects of new motherhood that are rarely discussed even though they're just as important as the obvious new baby problems.

"In general, most new mums feel worried about addressing certain issues because there's an incorrect belief that women should take to motherhood naturally or instinctively, whereas it's a life transition like every other with huge responsibility and change," says consultant clinical psychologist Dr Nihara Krause, founder and CEO of the parents and young people's mental health charity Stem4.

Dr Krause says mothers with a history of mental ill-health or perfectionism can be most vulnerable to failing to address important new mum issues.

And Amina Hatia, midwifery manager at the pregnancy and baby charity Tommy's, says: "It can sometimes feel as if we're surrounded by 'perfect' images of parents with newborns, but the reality is usually much messier and new mums shouldn't feel afraid of sharing that reality with friends and family."

Here's what perinatal experts say some new mums may not talk about, even though they should...

Anger and intrusive thoughts