Start here · Postnatal

The baby’s here. Now let’s look after you.

After birth, everyone’s attention moves to the baby. But anxiety, low mood, intrusive fears and birth trauma often surface in the weeks and months afterwards, and they’re easy to miss, sometimes even by the people who are meant to be looking. If you need support, this is where to start.

Start with this article Write for this section

Nearly 1 in 4had probable postnatal depression (National Maternity Survey, 2020)

1 in 10had PTSD symptoms six months after giving birth in 2024

No agreed screeningfor PTSD after birth, so many women are missed

First, recognise it

Start with this

Thousands of mothers may be living with undiagnosed PTSD after childbirth

What the new research says, why so many women are missed, and why a fear-free childbirth needs a system that notices.

Read the article

Depression

Postnatal depression: can we guard against it?

Alexia on the fear she carried through pregnancy, and what she did about it.

After a difficult birth

Induction and birth trauma: what a new study found

What the numbers do and don’t mean, and how to prepare next time.

If you’re struggling right now

Talk to your GP, midwife or health visitor, and tell them how you’re really feeling. You don’t need to have the right words, and you don’t need to wait until it’s bad enough.

If you feel you can’t keep yourself or your baby safe, call 999 or go to A&E. In the UK you can also call Samaritans, free, any time, on 116 123.

If this is where you are

Start with the sentence that sounds most like you.

I keep reliving the birth Read this → I feel low, and I thought it would have lifted by now Read this → I’ve had the baby, so why don’t I recognise myself? Matrescence → I’m already dreading the next birth Listen to this →

Understanding the months after

Mood, memory, identity and the body. These pieces map the territory.

What happened to birth?

Ten years of UK maternity statistics, including what’s happened to women’s mental health after birth.

Postnatal meets perimenopause

When two transitions collide, and why older mothers deserve better answers.

How to prepare for birth disappointment

The big space between the birth you wanted and the one you feared.

Reproductive trauma

When the birth, or anything around it, is still with you.

This section is being written by the people who know it

The postnatal months have their midwives, health visitors, perinatal psychologists and researchers, and women who’ve lived it. If that’s you, this platform is yours to write on.

Write for us

Fear Free
Childbirth
Podcast

Rather listen than read?

2M+ downloads · 180+ countries

All episodes

This section is growing

Postnatal finally has its own address

Postnatal is one of the newest sections of Fear Free Childbirth, and it’s built to grow: new essays, expert contributors and women’s own accounts. The newsletter is the easiest way to catch each piece as it lands.

Get new pieces by email