New handbook: Strengthening mental health for expectant and new mothers

Mental health conditions during pregnancy and after childbirth affect almost one in six women in Switzerland. Many cases go undetected, national guidelines are lacking and only a few specialized care services are available. A new handbook, funded by FLRF, aims to help close this gap in care. 

The handbook was developed by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University Hospital Bern. It is based on a care model that the clinic developed and evaluated jointly with the University Psychiatric Centre Bern. Under this model, an Advanced Practice Midwife (APM) – a midwife with advanced clinical competencies – provides early support to women experiencing mental health difficulties and coordinates interprofessional collaboration.

Through its funding and collaboration, FLRF is enabling other maternity hospitals in Switzerland to adopt this model and improve care for affected women and their families.

The German-language handbook is free to download on LactaHub.   

From clinical practice to clinical practice

The handbook makes the experience gained in Bern available to other hospitals. An eight-step guide describes how to establish a comparable service and integrate it into existing care structures. It is complemented by practical tools for early detection, training materials, templates for birth and crisis planning, and recommendations for inter-professional collaboration.

Another key focus is individualized breastfeeding counseling for women with mental health conditions, including those taking psychotropic medication. The aim is to consider the health of both mother and child and to support women according to their individual circumstances, without placing additional pressure on them.

A model with potential across Switzerland

For FLRF, the handbook is also part of its broader strategy for Switzerland: successful, scientifically grounded care models should not remain limited to individual institutions but should be made systematically accessible and transferable to other hospitals.

The model developed in Bern therefore provides a foundation for establishing specialized services at other maternity hospitals and children's hospitals across Switzerland and embedding them in healthcare provision over the long term. The goal is to sustainably improve mental health care for mothers and, in turn, support the health of their children.

Find further information from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University Hospital Bern here, in German.