On Wednesday 17th May, to launch our campaign 'Maternal Minds Matter: Prioritising Better Mental Health Support for Mums', we held our first Influencer event in Chelsea, London, where we were joined by a number of incredible mums and mental health advocates, as well as three experts in the field of perinatal mental health.
We heard individual stories and mental health journeys, and held an informative panel session with our experts to identify what help there is available currently and how it is failing mothers.
With suicide being the leading cause of maternal deaths in the UK within a year after childbirth (RCOG), and one in five women suffering from mental illness during or after pregnancy (WHO), and over 70% of women hiding or downplaying the severity of their mental health issue (New England Journal of Medicine), we thought, as one of the UK's leading parent and baby communities, it was about time someone did something about it.
We have created a petition to support this campaign. Click below to sign and help us make a difference.
From perinatal depression and anxiety and maternal OCD, to birth trauma, postpartum psychosis and PTSD, women going through mental health conditions as a direct result of their pregnancy and/or labour, have been ignored, unsupported, and failed for far too long.
This campaign therefore is to help raise greater awareness ofthe causes of mental health and understand what barriers were/are in place for women to access help. With this information, we want to help enact change and demand that women receive better care, more support and better access to professionals during one of the most overwhelming and anxious times of their life.
No mother should feel alone, or be left to suffer in silence. Every mother deserves support, unobstructed access to mental healthcare and a safe space to heal.
Meet the experts
Illiyin Morrison
Midwife, Mother, Debrief Facilitator and Author of 'The Birth Debrief'
Through her book 'The Birth Debrief' and her platform Mixing up Motherhood, she advocates for comprehensive postpartum care, destigmatises mental health challenges, and empowers mothers to embrace their transformative journey. With a commitment to enacting change and nurturing maternal well-being, Illiyin inspires and supports women throughout their childbirth experiences and beyond.
Dr Frankie Harrison
Clinical Psychologist & Co-Founder of Miracle Moon
With over 13 years of experience supporting mental health and well-being, Frankie specialises in neonatal care and birth trauma. Her personal journey as a parent of a prematurely born child has driven her to help other parents by combining her clinical knowledge with her lived experience. As a Clinical Psychologist, she offers valuable support and understanding to parents past, present, and future, drawing from her firsthand understanding of their challenges.
Tahnee Knowles
Mindful Grief and PALS Coach & Owner of Bump & Mind
Drawing from her personal experience of losing her son Elvis during childbirth, Tahnee is a compassionate mindful grief coach specialising in baby loss support and a PALS advocate. With her background as a Hypnobirthing Teacher and Mindful Pregnancy Advocate, she retrained to make baby loss support accessible to all, aiming to help individuals access their existing tools and gently navigate forward on their healing journey.
Mental health advice
For helpful advice, real stories and expert guidance on how to identify and deal with maternal mental illnesses, you can find lots of articles below.
Regaining Your Identity After Motherhood: A 5 Step Guide to Finding Yourself Again
by Claire Chircop
Need help?
If you think you may be suffering from perinatal depression and anxiety, maternal OCD, birth trauma, postpartum psychosis or PTSD, there are a number of resources already available to you. A list of which can be found in the link below.
