Patients We See

Who We See

Mental Health Services for New & Expectant Mothers in Qatar

Perinatal mental health services are primarily for new and expectant mothers who are dealing with emotional or mental health difficulties, but we also see husbands, infants, and family members who can support mothers during this time.

Early caring relationships give babies a sense of comfort, safety, and confidence that builds healthy social-emotional and mental health for a lifetime; we work with infants and their parents together to help encourage this development, particularly if there are any concerns arising in the parent-child relationship, or when extra support is needed for parents with their infant due to fussiness, developmental, or medical concerns.

Continue reading below for quotes from patients and families that have seen success with our perinatal mental health services.

Testimonials

I had been suffering from depression after the birth of my second baby, who had been born prematurely and was difficult to feed and settle. I feel ashamed to admit it but sometimes I even resented having to care for her because I was so tired, especially with my other family responsibilities. I was surprised when my psychiatrist asked me to bring my baby to some appointments. I thought she would cry and be difficult to manage and stop me from getting the help I needed.

My psychiatrist explained that sometimes women with babies who spend time in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can have difficult adjustments and that other mothers in my situation sometimes have these feelings. She helped me to get to know my baby better and to understand how she was trying to communicate with and me; she also told me some ways to enjoy our time together.


Husbands and Fathers

After many of years of trying to become pregnant without intervention, I finally became pregnant using in-vitro fertilization. Even though I was excited about being pregnant, I found myself constantly worrying about everything I did and that it may cause me to miscarry. I stopped all form of physical activity, which was my main source of self-care before I was pregnant. My husband could not understand why I was anxious since we were finally pregnant. I would spend nights worrying about the health of my unborn baby and would not sleep more than a few hours at night. I found it difficult to concentrate at work and was always irritable with my husband because he did not understand what I was going through. My clinician explained how my anxious thoughts were affecting my mood. She helped me train my mind to think more helpful and positive thoughts and taught me strategies to manage my anxiety and low mood. Additionally, my husband came in for a few sessions with me and my psychologist.

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My wife and I lost a baby late in the pregnancy and she was struggling to cope with the loss, especially as her mother had died the previous year. I was pleased she was getting some help from the perinatal mental health team and agreed to attend when the psychiatrist asked my wife to bring me to one of her appointments. It was helpful for me to know how the loss of our baby had impacted on my wife and how I could support her during this time. The psychiatrist also talked to me about my own grief, which was very helpful as I’d been so worried about my wife that I hadn’t thought about what I was going through. The doctor also explained how grief can affect husbands and wives differently and how we could be there to help each other and make our relationship even stronger during this difficult time.