MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK Stronger Together: The power of peer support for women with severe perinatal mental Illness By Annette Bauer, Hannah Hopson, Jess Heron and Hannah Bissett

NEW BLOG on the power of peer support for women with severe perinatal mental Illness 👐

This #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek, @annettebauer.bsky.social, Hannah Hopson, Jess Heron + @hannahb-app.bsky.social share insights from the #RAPPORT study.

READ NOW:👉 www.lse.ac.uk/cpec/news/Ma...

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek

Daisy flowers. Text: LLLGB is here to support you to reach your breastfeeding goals

As we see the close of #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek organised by @pmhpuk.bsky.social, please don't struggle alone with a mental health illness. Ask your GP, HV or mental health team for support available in your area 1/2

#MaternalMHMatters
#MentalHealthMatters
#PerinatalMentalHealth

Proud to play a small part in vital awareness raising around perinatal mental health, contributing to a piece on BBC Morning Live yesterday
#maternalmentalhealthawarenessweek #MMHAW25

"...I’m now pregnant with my second baby and know that my birth experience doesn’t make me a failure, and my breastfeeding wins make me feel so proud of us both!"

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek
#MentalHealthMatters
#MaternalMentalHealthMatters
#PerinatalMentalHealth
@pmhpuk.bsky.social

In the UK, 1 in 5 women experience mental health issues during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth🤰

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek is a week dedicated to raising awareness, advocating for the families impacted and providing recovery care and support💜

@mmhalliance.bsky.social

📣 For #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MMHAW25 all mothers are invited to share their #MentalHealth and wellbeing experiences during and after pregnancy in a national survey with @cpft-nhs.bsky.social and @thencmh.bsky.social
to help improve support.
🖐️ Take part online here: ➡️ bit.ly/maternalcap

Today we're supporting #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek by sharing a real-life conversation between parents who experienced support from VCSE groups & organisations with their perinatal mental health challenges. It's a beautiful, inspiring chat which we hope you'll love. youtu.be/DyV5DrQ1alc?...

"...From a very tired first-time mum still trying to make sense of it all." ❤️

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek
#MaternalMentalHealthMatters
#MentalHealthMatters
#PerinatalMentalHealth
@pmhpuk.bsky.social

A newborn's arm on its mother's breast. No text

Thank you to one of our followers who shared her thoughts with us for #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek:

"I am a first-time mum and nearly 6 weeks into breastfeeding my little one. We've had a bumpy start to breastfeeding...

@pmhpuk.bsky.social #PerinatalMentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters

Talk. Seek support. Or just have a cup of tea outside your usual four walls.

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek (2/2)

"...After being unable to feed him the first few days after his birth, he’s been exclusively breastfed since and it’s the only thing that centres me and keeps me grounded. He saves me every single day" 🤍

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek
#MentalHealthMatters
#PerinatalMentalHealthMatters

A pastel pink abstract background. Text: "After being unable to feed him for the first few days after her birth, he's been exclusively breastfed since and it's the only thing that centres me and keeps me grounded. He saves me every single day" Anonymous

Thank you to one of our followers for sharing her story for #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek:

"My son was diagnosed with a heart condition during my pregnancy and he’s now 9 months old. I suffer with PTSD surrounding my pregnancy and events after his birth..."

@pmhpuk.bsky.social

Today we're supporting #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek by sharing a quote from our #CommunityCorner blog. Thank you to Kids Matter for these words and the fantastic wellbeing work they do with families facing poverty. Read more at: www.heartsandmindspartnership.org/post/communi...

"...My little one said 'he liked it because he could hear the birds'. I would like to urge any mummys out there who struggle with this to seek some support. I wish I did it sooner."

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek
#MentalHealthMatters
@pmhpuk.bsky.social

Sarah feeding her toddler while sitting on a log in a wood and kissing his hand. Text: "I fed for the first time in a forest recently and it was the best feeling ever" Sarah

** Content warning: sexual assault **

Thank you to Sarah for sharing her story for #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek:

"When I was a teenager I was sexually assaulted & groomed by an older man. I thought I had moved on from this, but I developed Tokophobia as a result (fear of childbirth)...

This #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek, we’re proud to support the theme ‘Your Voice, Your Strength’
💚

Everyone deserves to feel heard and supported during and after pregnancy.

🔗 maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/get-involved...

Hayley and her baby sitting at a picnic table

“I think I have great relationship with my baby. All the talking in sessions before he was born helped me to work some things out and to be a calmer mum."

For #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek, Hayley shared how Tameside & Glossop early attachment service eased her anxieties about being a parent.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Third Sector Service Directory - Inspiring Scotland This directory lists organisations across Scotland who currently offer perinatal and infant mental health support.

1 in 5 women experience a perinatal mental health illness.

Third sector services are here to help. Over 100 services providing a range of support across Scotland are listed in our digital directory:
inspiringscotland.org.uk/perinatal-me...

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MaternalMHMatters

This week is #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek 💙

Emma, from The MTPT Project explores the challenges faced by mothers working in schools and what schools can do to help create a culture that supports the wellbeing of parent-teachers.

Read here: ow.ly/RHAv50VNrao

#MentalHealth #EduSky #Teachers

Like Rachel, many pregnant deaf people face unfair barriers to healthcare.
View her full story at signhealth.org.uk/people/rachels-story/...

#DeafAwarenessWeek #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek #WhereIsOurAccess

#mmhaw #maternalmhmatters #mmhaw25

During #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek we're highlighting In the Lily Room by Erica Hesketh, an unwavering debut #poetry book of new motherhood, with its joys and difficulties, of mental illness and the often surreal landscape of mothering. Out this month.
ninearchespress.com/publications...

Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures: our work in maternal and newborn health On World Health Day, learn how Newcastle University supports healthy beginnings through maternal and newborn health research.

This #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek find out how our researchers are at the forefront of helping to tackle maternity inequalities and working towards a healthier future for mothers and infants. 👶🤰

#WeAreNCL

The work we do to empower pregnant mums & new mothers about their rights to work & maternity pay is vital to reducing their stress & improving well-being. That's why we're proud to support @mmhalliance.bsky.social & #maternalmentalhealthawarenessweek

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek

Watch our Community of Practice on Neurodivergence & Perinatal Mental Health, where Emma Durman of AutSide Education and Training covers pregnancy, trauma, mixed neurotype parenting and more: neurodivergencewales.org/en/resources...

#MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek

Gwyliwch ein Cymuned Ymarfer ar #Niwrowahaniaeth ac Iechyd Meddwl Amenedigol, lle mae Emma Durman o AutSide Education and Training yn sôn am feichiogrwydd, trawma, rhianta niwrofathau cymysg a mwy: neurodivergencewales.org/cy/adnoddau/...

"...Having great support after each birth was vital. 2020 made it harder to have support though virtual postpartum support groups saved my life. Reach out fr help If a mum/parent you know has signs, ask them how you can help out or if you can help them to get help" #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek

An abstract painting with pastel pinks, blues and purples. Text: "Working through getting my baby back to the breast and succeeding was a big deal and meant a lot for my mental health. Yes it was hard, though I CAN do hard things. Having great support after each birth was vital" Vanessa

Thank you to Vanessa for sharing her story with us for #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek:

"With depression prior to any pregnancies, I knew ahead of time that PPD/PPA was a strong possibility & I kept my husband and Dr in the loop. It was very hard after my 1st was born and I had bf challenges...

Cream background and a silhouette of a mother holding a baby. Words read: "Neurodivergent people are more likely to have mental health challenges than the general population."

It’s #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek!

Today we’re highlighting a new resource from our member PANDAS Foundation, created with ND Birth, supporting neurodivergent parents through pregnancy and early motherhood.

Find it here: pandasfoundation.org.uk/how-we-can-s...

#Neurodiversity #VCSE

Today we're supporting #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek by sharing a quote from our #CommunityCorner blog. Thank you to The Mamahood Space for these words and the fantastic work they do with mums in the West Midlands. Read more at: www.heartsandmindspartnership.org/post/communi...