Maternal Mental Health Matters Week 2018

Pregnancy blog, 30/04/2018

This week is the second Maternal Mental Health Matters Week, led by Perinatal Mental Health Partnership UK.

The aim is to encourage all mums and mums-to-be who are struggling with their emotions to speak out and get support for their mental health.

As Tommy's midwives, we know that emotional changes during pregnancy can really affect how you feel each day. Your mood can swing from excited to desperately worried in minutes. And while it's normal to experience this, especially in the first three months as pregnancy hormones rise, if your low feelings don’t go away it can be a sign of something more serious.

Where to go for help

Talking to someone and asking for help, whether it's your GP or midwife, takes courage but it is the first step to feeling better.

'That was all I needed, to get it out, to speak to somebody and to feel that I wasn’t completely alone.'
Sarah, mum of one. Read more...

It’s important to get support sooner rather than later. As well as talking to your midwife or your GP there are many organisations out there who can help, such as PANDAS, Mind and APNI (Association for Postnatal Illness).

You're not alone

Read about how other women got through their experiences of perinatal mental health issues.

Get involved with Maternal Mental Health Matters Week

Here’s how you can show your support or help raise awareness:

• Visit the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership on Facebook to find out what’s going on near you. There are online and live events happening all over the country this week.
• Find out about each day's theme on the Maternal Mental Health Alliance website.
• Join the conversation by using #maternalMHmatters on Twitter and Facebook. Search the hashtag to see what supporters are saying.

Information and support

Don’t forget we have lots of information about emotional wellbeing on our website, including specific mental health conditions.