Support for growing families
Going from one child to two or more can bring new challenges or experiences that you may not have had with your first child.
Everyone is different. No two experiences of perinatal anxiety or depression are the same.
It can be hard to manage pregnancy or caring for your new baby while also caring for your older children.
Some people sail through having their first child only to experience mental health issues with their second, while others have a very difficult experience with their first, make a full recovery, and go on to have more children without relapse.
There will be a lot of new and challenging experiences as your family adjusts to the new baby. The new constraints on your time and energy can leave you feeling anxious and extremely tired. However, if you’re experiencing a low mood, overwhelmed or distressing thoughts and feelings that affect your wellbeing and ability to function in daily life, you may be experiencing perinatal anxiety and/or depression.
People who have experienced perinatal anxiety or depression or postnatal psychosis are at increased risk of experiencing mental health issues with another child. It’s important you plan ahead if you decide to have another baby.
Articles
Information for growing families
Parenting and Borderline Personality Disorder
With good support in place, you and your baby can thrive.
Financial stress and your mental health
Having a baby can impact your household finances, but there are ways to take control and reduce stress.
Prioritising your mental health and wellbeing after having a premature or sick baby
PANDA Lived Experience Workforce Framework
PANDA's lived experience workforce, shaped by personal lived experience, are integral to the work that we do.
Peer Support at PANDA
Peer practitioners are trained professionals who have experienced their own perinatal mental health and wellbeing challenges and are there to offer support and hope through shared experience.
Peer support is here for you and your family
Health-related anxiety in the perinatal period
Health-related anxiety is not about whether your physical symptoms are real, but about how anxiety about those symptoms is impacting you and your life.
Strategies to manage low mood
Finding meaningful friendships as a new parent
Tips for connecting with friends
Bipolar during pregnancy
It’s common to have a first experience of bipolar disorder during pregnancy.
Thriving as a parent with a bipolar disorder
A bipolar diagnosis is not a barrier to becoming a parent, it just involves careful planning with your doctor and your support network.
Bipolar disorder during the perinatal period
Read about the types of bipolar affective disorders and the signs and symptoms.
Your rights and responsibilities
PANDA respects the rights of all individuals and their carers/supports when accessing PANDA services.
What to do when your loved one is admitted to a Parent and Infant Unit or inpatient facility
Find information and tips to support you while your loved one stays away from home.
Admission to a Parent and Infant Unit – what to expect
Parent and Infant Units offer a safe place where you are able to get the rest you need.
Tips for preparing for an inpatient mental health stay without your baby
Remember, the best way you can care for your baby is to focus on getting well yourself.
Parent and Infant Units
Find information about the types of support services available for parents in the perinatal period and experiences from two mums who have experienced Parent and Infant Units.
Dadspace
Dadspace is a partner of PANDA, with programs developed by the Parent Infant Research Institute.
Janet's story – the beginning of PANDA
PANDA co-founder, Janet Devlin, shares her story and how PANDA came to be formed over 40 years ago.
Neurodiverse parents: Managing sensory overload
A toolkit of useful self-soothing skills for all those times when everything feels too much.
Recovery from perinatal mental health challenges
Tips for maintaining your mental health and wellbeing.
Tips for health care providers: What to look and listen for
Recognising the signs that someone may not be coping.
Pregnant in prison
PANDA, in partnership with NSW Health are running a pilot program to support pregnant women in the justice system. This pilot currently runs in NSW only.
Making the parenthood transition in a small town
Share PANDA resources
Have you heard about the free services PANDA offer families?
The mission to make Birthing on Country a reality for First Nations parents across Australia
Managing stressful relationships as an expecting or new parent
Tips for nurturing your own wellbeing while maintaining healthy relationships.
Alcohol use in the perinatal period: Support for all parents
Getting the most out of your call with PANDA: Practical telehealth tips
Panic attacks: Practical ways to look after yourself
Whenever you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, use these strategies to soothe and calm yourself.
Grounding Strategies
Try these grounding strategies to shift your focus to the present moment and feeling calm.
Perinatal anxiety management
Try these breathing strategies and relaxing activities to de-stress
Ann’s story – the beginning of PANDA
PANDA co-founder, Ann Lanigan, shares her story and how PANDA came to be formed over 40 years ago.
Becoming a parent when you have a pre-existing mental health condition
Having a personal history of mental health challenges shouldn’t be a barrier to your goal of becoming a parent.
Creating a strengths-based suicide safety plan
Support expecting and new parents in your care to manage their mental health with this suicide safety plan.
Tips for having helpful conversations about perinatal mental health
Connection not perfection: PANDA Helpline’s top tips for having helpful chats about mental health.
How to show yourself compassion and why it matters
Meaningful self-care includes having compassion for ourselves when times are tough.
Parenting ambivalence: When parenting isn't what you thought it would be
If you find yourself feeling unsure about parenthood, support is available
Managing isolation as a sole parent
You don’t need to face your parenting journey alone.
Podcast: Grounding exercise – body scan and relaxation to release tension
Podcast: Grounding exercise – soothing rhythm breathing for stress relief
Podcast: Our birth story – 40 years of PANDA and perinatal mental health in Australia
Sleep tips for everyone
Sleep supports our mental health and wellbeing
Sleep and mental health information for partners
Sleep and mental health when you have a new baby
Sleep and Mental health during pregnancy
Traditional birthing practices: Postnatal confinement
Making space for parents to rest, recover, and connect with their babies
Podcast: Becoming a parent when you have a pre-existing mental health condition
Podcast: Supporting your partner by taking care of yourself
Podcast: Making the parenthood transition in a small town
Podcast: Building your community of care as a solo parent
Podcast: How we became parents without a guidebook
Podcast: How our ideas of parenthood make us feel like we’re failing
Podcast: What can we learn from confinement cultures?
Podcast: How intrusive thoughts might affect you as a new parent
Reframing your thoughts as a new or expecting parent
It’s common for doubts and fears to rise to the surface. Read about some ways you might manage those thoughts if they arise.
Communicating with your partner in the perinatal period
Becoming parents can feel really challenging. You may find your usual styles of communicating and supporting each other don’t work as well as they used to.
What is perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
Recognising the signs of perinatal mental health challenges
Pregnancy and a new baby after loss
Pregnancy after loss can feel lonely and isolating, but there are many specialist services available if you need support.
What can dads expect when calling the PANDA Helpline
If you’re wondering what happens when you call the PANDA Helpline - there’s no issue too big or small to chat about with us.
Including dads in the perinatal conversation
Families thrive when dads are included from the start as an equal partner in parenting.
How dads can build a strong bond with their baby
Practical tips for dad and baby bonding time.
PANDA's Intensive Care and Counselling Program
Providing quality specialist therapeutic support for families with significant psychosocial complexity during the perinatal period.
Help and support during the holiday season
24/7 mental health supports are available during the holiday period.
Free self-care PDF download for pregnancy and new parenthood
Self-care tips for expecting and new parents
Caring for the whole family
Family care is worth the effort and can have immediate and long-term health and well-being benefits.
Bonding with your baby during pregnancy
Activities to connect with your unborn baby
Self-care for pregnancy and new parenthood
It’s important that self-care feels achievable, effective, and right for you.
MumSpace
MumSpace is a partner of PANDA, with programs developed by the Parent Infant Research Institute.
Intrusive thoughts during the transition to parenthood
There’s one type of thought that many expecting and new parents experience that isn’t talked about much, if at all – intrusive thoughts.
Managing change
A relaxation and grounding guide for pregnancy and new parenthood
Volunteer Impact Report 2021
In 2021, PANDA had 639 volunteers working across 5 different areas of the organisation.
Coping with uncertainty
The unexpected often happens in life, and it’s normal to feel unprepared and unsure of how to adjust.
Perinatal suicide: Signs, safety and support options
Thoughts of suicide are common during pregnancy and early parenthood. You don’t need to deal with them alone though – specialist help is available.
Journeys to recovery: Growth through recovery
Perinatal mental health issues can feel distressing and challenging to navigate. Yet your personal recovery journey can also be an opportunity for unexpected growth.
Journeys to recovery: Sleep
Sleep deprivation can wear you down, but there are ways to build good habits to have the best chance of getting some sleep.
Journeys to recovery: Nutrition
Eating on the go
Journeys to recovery: Communication
Communicating a need from our vulnerable, soft place can be challenging and sometimes uncomfortable.
Journeys to recovery: Social connection
If you're experiencing perinatal anxiety or depression you may feel like withdrawing from family and friends or other social outlets.
Journeys to recovery: Exercise - tips to get you started
Evidence suggests that exercise can help improve our mental health as well as our physical health.
Community education
Volunteers drive PANDA's community education program by running education sessions and sharing their story in new parent groups, community groups and forums.
Survive & Thrive Podcast
Survive & Thrive is PANDA's podcast for expecting and new parents about balancing your mental health with the demands of becoming a parent.
Wellbeing and self care
Self-care tips for expecting and new parents
Perinatal anxiety and depression: Signs and symptoms
Perinatal anxiety and depression can be mild, moderate or severe. The symptoms can begin suddenly after birth or gradually in the weeks and months after.
Perinatal support options for individuals and families
Effective perinatal mental health care can make a real difference during a time of big changes.
Adjusting to the challenges of parenthood
First-time pregnancy and parenthood is a time of great change. It is common for new parents to experience a range of emotions, both positive and negative, in response to these changes.
Complicated births
Giving birth can lead to a range of complex feelings, especially when the experience is a difficult or traumatic one.
Antenatal anxiety: Signs and symptoms
Are anxiety symptoms interfering with your ability to enjoy your life and pregnancy?
Annual review 20/21
In a difficult and uncertain year, PANDA continued to grow our funding and support new and expecting parents facing mental health challenges.
Contributing factors: postnatal anxiety and depression
Postnatal anxiety and depression can affect anyone, including women and their non-birthing partners.
Good enough parenting
Why good enough parenting is actually great parenting
Postnatal depression: Signs and symptoms
Postnatal depression can be mild, moderate or severe. The symptoms can begin suddenly after birth or gradually in the weeks and months after.
Talking to your doctor
Tips on finding a doctor, sharing your concerns and what to expect from a consultation.
Postnatal anxiety: Signs and symptoms
Postnatal anxiety can be mild, moderate or severe. The symptoms can begin suddenly after birth or gradually in the weeks and months after.
Clinical Champions network
PANDA Clinical Champions are a network of clinicians and experts working in the perinatal space who volunteer to support PANDA.
Fundraising resources
There are a range of resources available to support your fundraiser.
Fundraising for PANDA
You can do all sorts of creative things to help raise funds for PANDA. Get everything you need for a great fundraiser here.
Talking about perinatal mental health
For many new parents, talking about how they are feeling can be difficult. You may never have experienced feelings and thoughts like this before, and are not sure how to express them.
Planning a baby after perinatal anxiety, depression or postnatal psychosis
People who have experienced perinatal anxiety or depression or postnatal psychosis may be at increased risk of experiencing mental health issues with another child. It’s important you plan ahead if you decide to have another baby.
SMS for dads
Free text messages, support, information and tips, designed for expecting and new dads.
What is family?
Having a child is a time of huge change. For many people this includes considering the type of family they hope to create, as well as reflecting on their own family relationships.
Guide to groups
PANDA's Guide to Groups helps upskill playgroups and group facilitators so they are skilled, informed about perinatal mental health, and supported in their work.
Balancing work and wellbeing as a new parent
Returning to work after parental leave can be challenging, especially if you have experienced perinatal mental health issues. There are a range of strategies you can manage your mental health and ease the transition.
PANDA Community Champions
Working together to raise awareness to reduce stigma, advocate for improved perinatal mental health systems and share messages of hope.
Peer Support Volunteers
Volunteer to deliver mental health support to expecting and new parents
Perinatal Mental Health Week
Join families and organisations across Australia to mark Perinatal Mental Health Week 2024, 17- 23 November.
Media enquiries
PANDA can assist with media enquiries related to research, statistics, lived experience stories and clinical expertise.
Clinical guidelines
Clinical guidelines for mental health care in the perinatal period.
Encouraging people to share their experiences
“Every care conversation with every new and expecting parent needs to include two critical questions: Are you OK? Are you safe?”
Julie Borninkhof, PANDA CEO
The myths and realities of new parenthood
Becoming a parent is seen as a joyful and natural life event. But the reality is often very different.
Preparing for baby’s arrival: Tips for new dads
The lead up to the arrival of a new baby can be an exciting time for expecting dads. But it can also bring challenges as you adjust to the new future.
Our commitment to child safety
PANDA’s commitment to children and young people extends to staff, volunteers, board members and contractors.
What happens when I call the PANDA Helpline?
When you call PANDA, we provide a free, safe, caring and confidential space for you to talk through any concerns you may have as an expecting or new parent, or support person.
Online training
PANDA Learning Hub is the gateway to online learning for perinatal mental health.
PANDA’s National Perinatal Mental Health Helpline
We’re here to help expecting and new parents and their support people during the transition to parenthood.
What is perinatal mental ill-health?
Perinatal mental ill-health refers to any mental health condition affecting the mood, behaviour, wellbeing and/or daily function of an expecting or new parent.
Medication use during pregnancy and after birth
It’s common to have questions about medication use during the perinatal period. Specialist health professional supports are available to provide advice and guidance on what’s best for you and your baby.
Secondary Consultation service: Support for healthcare providers
Free information and guidance for healthcare providers working with families in the perinatal period.
Referring to PANDA
Find out how you can refer someone to PANDA or get practice support as a healthcare provider.
How common are mental health issues in the perinatal period?
Several factors make it difficult to estimate how many families are affected by perinatal mental health issues, including variations in data collection methods during research, and different ways of defining or diagnosing mental health conditions.
Postnatal Psychosis: Getting help
Postnatal psychosis is a serious condition – but professional help is available
Postnatal Psychosis: Care and treatment options
Postnatal psychosis is a medical emergency. Recovery starts with early intervention and professional treatment.
Postnatal Psychosis: Information for partners and carers
Postnatal psychosis is a serious mental health condition, and a medical emergency. The earlier your partner accesses treatment, the quicker she will recover.
Postnatal Psychosis: Signs and symptoms
Postnatal psychosis is a serious condition. Hope for recovery is strong with early intervention and professional treatment.
Supporting the safety of a loved one struggling with their mental health
When you want to be a good support but you’re not sure how, PANDA is here to help. We’re sharing ways you can support the safety of a loved one who is struggling with their mental health.
Getting help: Support after birth
After you’ve had your baby, specialist support is available for your mental health and wellbeing.
Getting help: Support during pregnancy
During pregnancy, specialist support is available for your mental health and wellbeing.
Contributing factors: Antenatal anxiety and depression
Antenatal anxiety and depression can affect anyone expecting a new baby.
Child Protection: Helpful information for parents
It’s normal for new parents to have concerns about what might happen when they reach out for help. Talking to PANDA about your mental health and any issues at home is being a protective parent. We can help you access the support you and your baby need.
Wellbeing for LGBTIQA+ parents
All expecting and new parents deserve inclusive, appropriate support for their wellbeing – including LGBTIQA+ parents.
PANDA is an accredited mental health service
We are proud to be accredited for safety and quality in digital mental health services.
Coping with strong emotions as a new parent
Feelings come and go – learning how to cope with unwanted or distressing emotions is a big part of the journey to parenthood.
How to get a mental health treatment plan
How to access government subsidised mental health care for all Australians.
Mental health safe plans: Looking after yourself and your loved ones
24/7 mental health supports are available. Learn about mental health safe plans you can use day or night.
Mental health and wellbeing during pregnancy
Mental health and emotional wellbeing are important when you’re having a baby.
Perinatal anxiety and depression in dads: Signs and symptoms
Dads can experience anxiety and depression symptoms during pregnancy and after their baby is born too. Help’s available if you’re having a hard time.
Getting help: support for expecting and new dads
PANDA supports dads when they need it most - building a solid foundation of care for the whole family unit.
Birth trauma and recovery
During pregnancy, it's common to worry about what our birth experience will be like. Many of us expect that birthing our babies will be hard but rewarding work. Yet very few of us feel prepared for complications in labour and childbirth.
Parent and baby care plan
PANDA’s guide to managing overwhelming thoughts and feelings while caring for yourself and your baby. This simple plan gives you and your baby moments to de-stress any time you’re parenting by yourself.
Tips for caring for your partner
Caring for someone with perinatal anxiety or depression can be confusing, stressful and demanding. While you can’t “fix” what your partner is going through, you can support them while they seek help and receive treatment.
Providing individualised and person-centred care
Perinatal mental health care is most effective when there are clear, person-centred and collaborative discussions about referral pathways for management, treatment and follow-up.
Antenatal depression: Signs and symptoms
Are depression symptoms interfering with your ability to enjoy your life and pregnancy?
Adjusting to change during pregnancy
Becoming a parent can be a joyful, rewarding experience - but pregnancy can also be a stressful, complicated and confusing time.
Managing relationships: guide for dads
Here are some ways to stay connected and still find time to look after yourself too.
Bonding with your newborn baby
Like any new relationship, it can take time to build a connection with your baby. Find activities to connect with your baby.
Mental Health Checklist
How are you going?
Every family's experience of pregnancy, birth and parenting is unique and brings different rewards and challenges.
Complete our online mental health checklist to see if what you're experiencing or observing in a loved one could be a reason to seek help.
PANDA National Helpline
Find someone to talk to, Monday to Saturday.
1300 726 306
Call 000 for police and ambulance if you or someone else are in immediate danger
Talk with friends or family
Consider talking about how you are feeling with someone you trust. This might be a friend or family member. Once you starting talking you might be surprised at how many others have had similar experiences and the support they can provide you.
Talk with your doctor
Talking with your doctor can be an important step to getting the help you need. They should be able to give you non-judgemental support, assessment, diagnosis, and ongoing care and treatment. They can also refer you to specialists such as a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist.
Get help now
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are feeling disorientated it’s important to get help immediately. PANDA is not a crisis service, if you need immediate support call Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7).