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Background Mental illness can have negative impact on pregnant women, their infants and their families, including adverse birth outcomes, as well as place children at risk of developing mental illness later in life. It is recommended to offer additional support in the ante - and postnatal period, but to be able to offer appropriate, timely and effective care, more knowledge is needed on women's own experiences. The aim of this paper is to explore women's experiences with mental illness in the context of pregnancy and early motherhood, and how they experience and engage with supportive services. Methods This paper presents selected findings from an ethnographic field study carried out in a Danish municipality. The findings are based on data from 22 women, who were recruited when they were pregnant or had a newborn baby. The women were currently facing or had previously suffered from one or multiple mental health conditions. Results Analysis found that women with current or prior mental illness experienced a high level of fear, worries and uncertainty during pregnancy and early motherhood, which shaped how they engaged with supportive maternity services. Some were deeply worried about their mental health and reached out for support to cope with this. Concerns about being a bad mother and about the potential influence of their mental illness on their infants were common. Furthermore, some women were scared of being judged as unfit mothers and losing custody of their children. Many experienced stigma surrounding mental illness, making some more hesitant about reaching out for support. Conclusions By providing new insight into women's own perspectives, this study contributes with in-depth knowledge on women's experiences with mental illness during pregnancy and early motherhood, and illustrates how engaging with supportive services may be an ambivalent experience.

Supportive maternity care services: A Danish study exploring parents’ experiences with perinatal mental health issues