Chapter 7 170 "It's still something that isn't discussed indeed, and I'm just afraid, […], if they know that there's something, and something happens at some point, that it will immediately be attributed to that [diagnosis of bipolar disorder]. […] Yeah, so that, I'm not even going to touch that with a ten-foot pole." (Participant 1) Finally, some participants expressed the need for society to change its perspective on pregnancies and accommodate emotions other than happiness and content, as a pregnancy can be experienced very differently depending on the pregnant person. Participant 3 experienced that positive reactions are the norm to any pregnancy, despite the actual feelings of the expectant parent(s). "Because then, yeah, I get a lot from many people: oh, congratulations! Oh, it's so fantastic! And then I reply: well, that doesn't apply to everyone. […] So, I do try to be more open about it, that not everyone is on cloud nine." (Participant 3) Participant 5 agreed and showed how she felt supported by mental health professionals (MHPs) who shared with her the stories of other women with psychiatric vulnerability during pregnancy. The normalization of negative (or neutral) reactions to a pregnancy made her feel better about the situation. "I think I created in my mind that every woman who gets pregnant is happy. And then the obstetric caregiver told me: well, it's not like this. […] There are a lot of women that suffer, that they have bad feelings, bad thoughts. And then I was like; okay, so at least I know that I am normal, let's say, right." (Participant 5) In need of a safety net All participants were actively seeking mental health care and other forms of support with preventive measures to avoid worsening of symptoms during pregnancy and after childbirth. There were different motivations to seek help: preventing relapse or transgenerational transmission, improving the baby’s well-being, and preventing the worsening of psychiatric symptoms. Participant 1 found it particularly relevant to prevent postpartum relapse of her bipolar disorder in depression. "Because I do feel that I've done everything at least to prevent any depressions or issues." (Participant 1)
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