Joan worried that working shifts until the end of her pregnancy could make her mental health worse.
Transcript
When I was in counselling I got diagnosed with PTSD and borderline tendencies, so when I come forward about that and had asked him “Can you write me a doctor’s note when I have to go back to work so that I’m not on shift work”, like I can’t do shift work nine months pregnant, this is going to screw up my mental health. And my counsellor and I had already addressed that if I don’t get adequate sleep it really screws me up, right. He wouldn’t write me the sick note. He said no. And I’m like “Okay.” So just like stuff like that.
So to put it simply, the midwives did not treat you like you had like an illness. Doctors treated you like you have an illness when you’re pregnant, and the midwives were very holistic. And I know like the holistic thing is, people knock it, but it was just much more caring. Like I said “This is where I work. These are the stresses that I’m going through.” They took me out of work a month before, thank God because like I was going to kill someone, you know, I was so angry. And then they wrote me the letter so that I wouldn’t have to go back onto shift work. Like they were just very, very understanding that pregnancy is not an illness, and they were trying to work with my mental health and try and make sure that everything was okay.
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- Advice for Women with Perinatal Mental Health Issues – JoanJoan would like friends to step up and offer support.
- Gaps in Health Care System – JoanJoan waited for months for care, despite serious red flags.
- Gaps in Health Care System – JoanJoan could not find services that were easy to access.
- Communicating with Health Care Providers – JoanJoan understood her doctor's duty to report when concerned for her safety.
- Seeking Help and Getting Diagnosis – JoanHer son's health was a big reason for Joan to talk to her doctor about her mental health struggles.
- Work, Finances and Mental Health – JoanJoan worried that working shifts until the end of her pregnancy could make her mental health worse.
- Relationships – JoanJoan knew she could trust her husband 100%, but she still accused him of not taking care of their child properly. He understood and supported her with finding more help.
- Symptoms – JoanAlthough the constant fear that someone was going to hurt her son did not feel normal for Joan, she could justify it to herself.
- First Symptoms – JoanAbout four months after birth, Joan began hearing things at night and sensed that something was wrong but couldn't yet identify that it was a problem.