The doctor explained the importance of visiting a psychologist during pregnancy

The introduction of mandatory visits to a psychologist for pregnant women, provided for by the new procedure of the Russian Ministry of Health, is a long—awaited and significant step that recognizes the mental health of the expectant mother as important as her physical condition. Svetlana Pulya, a psychologist at the SM Clinic, stated this in an interview with Izvestia on January 28.

The Russian Ministry of Health has ordered pregnant women to provide two visits to a psychologist during the period of childbearing, making changes to the procedure for providing medical care in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The expert explained that pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period are a time of large—scale neuroplasticity, when a woman's brain is rebuilt under the influence of hormonal changes. A "maternal dominant" is being formed — a special neural network that focuses attention and emotions on caring for the child.

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"However, this process can be accompanied by increased emotional lability, anxiety, cognitive changes and the risk of perinatal depression, which affects not only the mother, but also the formation of a bond with the child and his development. Two mandatory visits to a psychologist become a minimal, but extremely important screening of the mental state, which allows you to notice alarm signals in time," added Bullet.

The first visit, which usually falls on the first trimester, should focus on fundamental changes: the transformation of a woman's identity, her relationship with her partner, and her career. A psychologist recommends coming to a consultation with a partner, since his support has been proven to reduce the level of stress hormone in a pregnant woman. The second visit, often in the third trimester, focuses on preparing for childbirth and the postpartum period. Here it is important to work out the fears that increase pain, and to draw up with a psychologist a plan for the mental well-being of the family after the birth of the child, including the distribution of responsibilities and signs of possible postpartum depression, to which fathers are also susceptible.

"Between visits and after childbirth, the doctor advises practicing self—regulation techniques: train the vagus nerve through deep diaphragmatic breathing or humming, which reduces background anxiety, engage in permitted physical activity to produce natural antidepressants, and filter the social environment, avoiding toxic advice," the specialist advised.

Family support, expressed in hugs, participation in everyday life and calm communication, provides real biochemical help by regulating a woman's hormonal background. The initiative of the Ministry of Health, according to the psychologist, is the first step towards making perinatal psychology an integral part of health care, and investing in the mental well—being of a mother today is the basis for the harmonious development of the entire future family.

In October last year, Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, noted that in Russia family law does not restrict relatives who can take parental leave. At the same time, pension points and seniority can only be taken into account by working parents — either the mother or the father of the child.

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