Elaine Healy, perinatal liaison mental health nurse with the Health Service Executive Southern Area, says her job is all about helping those at risk.
I work as the perinatal mental health nurse with the liaison mental health team, which comprises one psychologist, two registrars and one other nurse, specialising in drug and alcohol addiction.
The service started just last November as a pilot programme. Its aim is to target people in need of mental health services within the general hospital arena.
As part of this service I provide an in-reach mental health service in the maternity ward in St Finbarr's Hospital in Cork. I offer services to women at risk of postnatal depression or women who have a history of significant mental health issues. The idea is to identify women at risk early on. This is a nurse-to-nurse referral system - the midwife initially identifies the women who are then referred on to me. I am also involved in training midwives and public health nurses in the area of perinatal care.
My day starts at about 8.45am when I go to the maternity ward in St Finbarr's and talk to the midwife and see if anyone has been identified as at risk.
The number of referrals differs each week. One week it could be three to four referrals, another week it might be just two.
Once identified I will see the women in the clinic or in the ward. I talk to them about their current concerns. I might discuss their concerns about going home and look at what supports they have at home or other fears they may have.
Then together we will agree on a management plan. I will give her information about supports available from the health service and out in the community. A GP or public health nurse then follows up care for the woman. For some women I will offer her outpatient appointments up to three months after the birth of her baby.
I will also brief her on the early warning signs of postnatal depression, which include a previous history of depression or postnatal depression, family history, lack of social supports, lack of a confidant and recent difficult life events.
The most recent research on postnatal depression, conducted in the Mater Hospital earlier this year, indicated that 15 per cent of women experience postnatal depression.
Support and access to services are very important for women before and after birth. Lots of women find it difficult to acknowledge their problems.
Women with postnatal depression feel overwhelmed by the problems in their lives. It can affect them in different ways.
They can become very de-motivated, they lack interest in themselves, feel very guilty and have negative feelings.
Some women have had postnatal depression before and have concerns about it recurring. With them I will devise a management strategy and talk about early warning systems.
I usually finish work at about 5pm or 5.30pm.
My job involves a lot of interaction with other healthcare workers, GPs, psychologists and midwives, which I enjoy a lot.
It is great to be able to help out women at what can be a very vulnerable time in their lives.
Interview by Elaine Tyrrell