Dateline went to Taiwan to meet the new parents spending their post-birth confinement month in a luxury hotel and in a traditional way, with the family. Does this ancient tradition with a modern twist give mum and baby a better start? Watch The Best Place to Have a Baby on Tuesday 20 August at 9.30pm on SBS or on SBS On Demand .
Stream free On Demand The Best Place To Have A Baby? episode • Dateline • Current Affairs • 29m episode • Dateline • Current Affairs • 29m Antonia (not her real name) prepared herself diligently for the birth of her first child, but she couldn't anticipate how the experience would impact her mental health. The 39-year-old of Filipino background wanted to prove to herself she was a great mother, but she felt worried and withdrawn. "I thought I was physically and environmentally prepared for a baby.
I had diligently read everything," she told Dateline. "What I didn't do was prepare for how motherhood would affect my mental health. I became anxious, but no one ever knew.
It didn't feel like the maternal instinct came naturally for me." Antonia's son was born prematurely and spent several weeks in neonatal care. Living in a small Australian country town, Antonia felt isolated.
To make things worse, asking for help didn't come naturally to her, and her Filipino family had limited English. "I masked my symptoms. I was scared and embarrassed," she said.
Parents from multicultural backgrounds are at a higher risk of perinatal depression and anxiety. Source: Supplied What is perinatal anxiety and depression? Bec Schafer is the community and engagement manager at Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia, or PANDA, which operates a helpline for parents staffed by counsellors and volunteers. Anxiety and depression are the most prevalent mental health issues in the perinatal period — during pregnancy or within the first 12 months after birth — and these conditions present in several ways, Schafer explained.
A perinatal mental health...
Cameron Carr.
