Pregnancy and postpartum are periods of increased vulnerability for some psychiatric disorders that, when left untreated, imply serious consequences for the pregnant and the fetus. The Psychiatric Liaison Consultation in Bissaya Barreto Maternity (MBB) is part of the Early Intervention Unit (UIP), which consists of a multidisciplinary team that ensures a specific intervention in pregnant and postpartum women with psychiatric illness.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the perinatal period and the psychomotor development of the 123 newborns of mothers followed in the Psychiatric Liaison Consultation and exposed to psychotropic drugs.

The authors conducted a retrospective descriptive study using clinical processes from the babies born between 2001 and 2006, considering the following data: maternal age in pregnancy, psychiatric disorder and medication, gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, breastfeeding and neonatal complications.

Preliminary results show that neonatal outcomes of newborns exposure to psychiatric medication during pregnancy are similar to those described in the literature, supporting that the use of psychotropic drugs during pregnancy is safe, as long as used with caution. This multidisciplinary intervention during pregnancy seems to be the best way to follow up pregnant women with mental illness.