Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week (5-11 May), is a week dedicated to talking about mental health problems before, during and after pregnancy. Here at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare we provide several different services to help women before, during and after pregnancy. We spoke to some of these incredible teams to find out more about their roles, the support they provide and what maternal mental health means to them...
Elizabeth Messum, Specialist Health Visitor (HV) for Perinatal Mental Health
My name is Elizabeth Messum and I am currently the Specialist Health Visitor (HV) for Perinatal Mental Health for Hampshire within Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. My role involves co-ordinating our offer of an online course to support birthing parents who are experiencing mild-moderate depression and/or anxiety. I also co-facilitate training to staff from the Health Visiting service across Hampshire to ensure the knowledge and skills of staff supporting emotional wellbeing issues is current and evidence based.
Approximately, 25% of birthing parents report experiencing episodes of mental ill health during the first year ranging from “Baby blues” to various levels of postnatal depression and/or postnatal anxiety. Sometimes a parent may feel unable to seek support with their mental health – parents have shared they feel guilty, or as if they are being judged for being a “bad” parent, or they are afraid that their baby will be taken away.
No one should feel alone in addressing their emotional wellbeing as support is available. Even sharing how you feel with friends and family can be helpful. There are a number of other options for support including the Health Visiting service. Health Visiting teams are ideally placed to offer direct support for mild-moderate depression and/or anxiety within the first year of baby’s life. This support could be in a group setting or on an individual basis. Within Hampshire, there is an offer for birthing parents, who are experiencing mild-moderate depression and/or anxiety, to access a virtual group course for 6 weeks to address some of these challenges. The course is facilitated by a Health Visitor, a practitioner from Hampshire Talking Therapies, and a Community Nursery Nurse. Feedback from the participants is positive with the overriding theme being the reassurance from realising they are not the only people feeling the way they do. If a group setting is not appropriate for a parent, there is an opportunity to offer Emotional Wellbeing Visits on an individual basis. Hampshire Talking Therapies, which provides free emotional support, will prioritise referrals for birthing parents within pregnancy and up to the first year of a baby’s life and will accept self-referrals, or referrals from a professional (HV, GP or midwife).
Having experienced postnatal depression where I felt emotionally unavailable to my baby I would very strongly suggest that, if you are feeling down or anxious, you access support. You have the right to positive mental health.
Charlotte Gatehouse, Start for Life Lead, Portsmouth
Becoming a new parent can be a wonderful time, but it can also be really hard. There are many challenges to face and for may expectant and new parents there can lots of new feelings to experience. But you are not alone. Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight there is a range of services to support you dependent on your needs, goals and preferences, your midwife, health visitor or family hub can help you navigate and access the right support for you!
In Portsmouth, expectant and new parents can access support through a new service delivered by HIOW Healthcare and funded through our Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. Families in Mind is a specialist health visiting team who support parents who might be feeling anxious, worried or overwhelmed, not confident or enjoying being a mum or dad. We offer a range of evidence based support in groups or 1:1, in family hubs or in your own home. And if we arnt the right service we will help to connect you! Our team of trained professionals is here to help! You can find out more and self- refer by visiting www.portsmouthfamilyhubs.co.uk/familiesinmind.
Aileen Chick, Peer Support Worker for the Maternity Mental Health Service , Hampshire & IoW Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
As Peer Support Workers for the Maternal Mental Health Service, we have lived experience of mental health challenges due to our maternity journeys and we use that experience to support others navigating similar challenges.
As a society the idea that someone can struggle with their mental health due to their maternity experience is often not talked about. The concept that someone can have PTSD from the “simple” act of given birth is a new concept to many. The question of what is Maternal Mental Health? is probably one that some would have to Google. I can approach the question from a unique perspective. I have struggled with my mental health the past 10 years due to my maternity experiences. I have had birth trauma, conception difficulties, multiple losses and medical complications, all this leading to PTSD and anxiety. I have been treated by the Maternity Mental Health Service and now hold the greatest of pleasure of working with the team to provide support for others going through similar to me. I am by no means “cured”. I still struggle with my emotional and psychological wellbeing. I can still be triggered. But I am now at a stage where I can help myself through the harder days, I have tools and skills to help when I am triggered. I have learnt the importance of talking, of talking to others, of sharing my story, and in turn hopefully breaking down societal taboos. So, what does Maternal Mental Health mean to me? It means trauma and fear, anxiety and loss but it also means happiness and love, resilience and strength. The power behind finding my voice and helping others to find theirs too.
Samantha Dyer-French, Peer Support Worker for the Maternity Mental Health Service , Hampshire & IoW Healthcare, NHS
A peer support worker is someone who has lived experience of a mental health condition and uses that experience to support others navigating similar challenges. As an 'expert by experience' of Maternal Mental Health, I have the perspective of someone who has lived through this and used the services available to me. I had tokophobia, stemming from a severe needle/ blood phobia due to childhood medical trauma. I then had a traumatic birth and was treated for PTSD. Alongside this, I have generalised anxiety. I have taken anti-depressants, had counselling, tried hypnotherapy and been treated with CBT and EMDR. The support I received from the Maternity Mental Health Service was invaluable to me and changed mine & my family's lives. I do not view myself as 'cured' or 'fixed'; I don't think that's how mental health works. I know that I have good days and bad days, just like with my physical illnesses. But the important thing is that I know there are people and services out there that can help me when I'm not feeling well. I know that I have a 'toolbox' of techniques and strategies that help and can prevent me from getting too poorly. My main takeaway from my experiences is that talking helps; sharing helps. It's ok not to feel like you thought you would, and by engaging with other parents with similar experiences, you'll find that you're not alone in your thoughts & feelings. Keep going and know that it's ok to prioritise your mental health.
Karen Sims, Isle of Wight Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist and Education Lead
I am Karen and I work for the Perinatal Mental Health Team.
I cover the Isle of Wight patch and see people with moderate to severe mental health problems who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or postnatal.
The perinatal period is such a vulnerable time for people who are often unaware of the help that is available or worried about asking for help. This years theme for MMHW “Your Voice, Your Strength” is such an important message to encourage people to express their needs, feelings and experiences.
Sue Adams, Specialist Health Visitor for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health in Southampton
I am Sue Adams, the Specialist Health Visitor for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health in Southampton. Becoming a mother and a parent is one of the most emotionally demanding experience a person can have. As mothers and parents, we can give ourselves a hard time when we think we are not coping, and we can struggle to ask for help. The right emotional support can be a game changer, by helping mothers and parents to understand what and why they are feeling the way they are, things can feel easier.
In Southampton our Health Visitor teams work alongside our local Family Hubs and within the wider professional and voluntary networks; we want to make sure that mothers and parents get the right support for their emotional wellbeing. We also have a postnatal support group called ‘Mums Matter’ which is run alongside Steps2Wellbeing, to support postnatal mums emotional wellbeing. To contact us please call the Health Visitor duty line 0300 123 6661 or you can access us via our email southamptonhealthvisiting@solent.nhs.uk
Lucy Batten – Partner, Family and Friends Peer support
I am Lucy Batten the Partner, Family, and Friends Peer Support for the Community perinatal mental health team.
I support partners and family members of the mums who come under our team, I use my lived experience of being a carer to support them to understand their family members mental health and how they can support them. Most importantly how they support themselves and their own wellbeing, recognising that supporting someone can be overwhelming when alongside working and looking after a baby. Giving them time and space to talk with a nice coffee or cup of tea, signposting to groups and other services that can support them, getting back into routines and enjoying hobbies again. It is important to recognise that maternal mental health doesn’t just affect birthing parents but also those around them, so when we are supporting mums, we support the family as a whole.
Tamsin Rowe, Psychological Therapist and Perinatal Project Lead, Talking Therapies Portsmouth
My name is Tamsin Rowe, I am a Psychological Therapist and lead on our Perinatal Project here at Talking Therapies Portsmouth (formerly known as Talking Change). I am also a mum to 8 year old twins so recognise through my own lived experience the perils and joys of the new parenting journey! I have supported hundreds of pregnant people and new parents in the city for over 10 years. I’ve seen first-hand the challenges that new parents face and have developed interventions to support them within Talking Therapies Portsmouth including our 8-session New Mums Wellbeing Group. This is a course whereby new mums can meet others in the same boat and learn cognitive behavioural skills to cope with the challenges of new motherhood.
We recognise that both dads and mums can struggle in the perinatal period (both during pregnancy and after birth) and need timely support, so we prioritise them on our waiting lists, aiming to assess within 2 weeks of referral and offer their first treatment session within 4 weeks of assessment. Once assessed we can advise as to whether a (fast) route to our colleagues in other services is required, sometimes alongside our treatment. We treat depression and anxiety disorders including perinatal mental health difficulties (formerly known as postnatal depression), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder including birth trauma. We can offer a huge variety of treatment approaches including individual and couple’s counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). We can offer this one-to-one or through a group; over the telephone, via videocall or in-person. We also offer out-of-hours appointments including at evenings and weekends as we appreciate childcare and working hours can be a barrier to treatment. We offer initial assessment appointments at the Family Hubs as we recognise sometimes we just want to see a friendly face as coming for therapy can feel daunting. We also undertake outreach in the community so you may see us at community groups such as DadzChat and the Young Parent’s Group, as well as at community events such as the upcoming Maternity Mental Health Week event at Queen Alexandra Hospital!
To find out more or to refer to our service please visit our website or give us a call on 0300 123 3934.