Tag Archives: mental health awareness week

Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

What is Black Maternal Mental Health Week #BMMHW21?

Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK was launched to raise awareness, highlight disparities, provide resources, and break cultural barriers in maternal mental health for black mothers, and birthing people.

When is Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week?

Monday 27th September – Sunday 3rd October 2021. Continue reading Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

Only four in 10 people are aware that birth can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, survey finds

A survey¹ by Maternal Mental Health Alliance member, the Birth Trauma Association, has found that the majority of people aren’t aware that birth can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The survey, carried out to mark Birth Trauma Awareness Week, found that, while 78% of people were aware that war could cause PTSD, only 40% knew that it was possible to experience PTSD as a result of giving birth.  Continue reading Only four in 10 people are aware that birth can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, survey finds

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

When is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week?

This year, Infant Mental Health Awareness Week will run between 7-12th June.

What is it?

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week takes place every year in June to highlight the importance of babies’ emotional wellbeing and development.

What’s happening and how to get involved

The theme for this year’s Infant Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘including infants in children and young people’s mental health’.

Join in the discussion on Twitter using #IMHAW21 and #IncludingInfants.

A member of the 1001 Days Movement

The First 1001 Days Movement

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance is a proud member of the First 1001 Days Movement.

Find out more about Infant Mental Health Awareness Week on their website.

 

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

When is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week?

Monday 3rd – Sunday 9th May 2021

What is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week?

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental health problems during and after pregnancy.

It’s all about raising public and professional awareness of perinatal mental health problems, advocating for women affected by it, changing attitudes and helping families access the information, care and support they need to recover.
Continue reading Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

MMHA member The Motherhood Group launches Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

What is Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week #BMMHW20?

The UK’s first annual awareness week highlighting black women’s maternal mental health.

When is Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week?

Monday 28th September – Sunday 4th October. Continue reading MMHA member The Motherhood Group launches Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

Perinatal mental health services more important now than ever as we emerge from the pandemic

Think piece by Joanne Smith, Everyone’s Business Scotland Coordinator

On World Maternal Mental Health Day, the time is right to reflect on the progress made in Scotland to protect pregnant women, new mums and their babies during the perinatal period.
 

While there have been encouraging signs of progress following the establishment of the perinatal managed clinical network and the perinatal and infant mental health programme board, the levels of specialist provision still falls short in most parts of the country, meaning right now, women and families still face a postcode lottery.

Continue reading Perinatal mental health services more important now than ever as we emerge from the pandemic

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

What is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week?

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental illness during and after pregnancy.

It’s all about raising public and professional awareness of perinatal mental illness, advocating for women affected by it, and helping them access the information, care and support they need to recover. Continue reading Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week: Stress in Pregnancy – Society’s Problem

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, which is focussing on stress and its detrimental consequences on mental health.

At the Maternal Mental Health Alliance we recognise how stress can negatively affect parents’ wellbeing and increase the risk of mental illness. When parents are feeling stressed, it also makes it harder for them to consider, reflect on and respond to their babies’ needs. And a huge body of research tells us that sensitive and responsive care is an essential ingredient in babies’ healthy brain development.

The research carries positive messages too. The results of stress are not inevitable and there are things we can all do to manage stress and reduced its impact. Furthermore, evidence shows that a good quality relationship between parents and babies after birth can mitigate the impact of early stress on babies’ development, which  is why services that support healthy parent-infant relationships are so critically important. Read our blog on stress in pregnancy here.

 

 

 

 

 

Stress in Pregnancy – Society’s Problem

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, which is focussing on stress and its detrimental consequences on mental health.

Here Sally Hogg, Strategic Lead for Mums and Babies in Mind, writes about how managing stress isn’t just a responsibility for individual mums – society needs to think about how we reduce stress on mothers.

At the Maternal Mental Health Alliance we recognise how stress can negatively affect parents’ wellbeing and increase the risk of mental illness. When parents are feeling stressed, it also makes it harder for them to consider, reflect on and respond to their babies’ needs. And a huge body of research tells us that sensitive and responsive care is an essential ingredient in babies’ healthy brain development.

Stress in pregnancy is associated with premature birth and low birth weight. We now know that maternal stress affects babies’ development antenatally too: Research found that babies whose mums had higher levels of stress in pregnancy were more likely to have mental health problems themselves in adolescence.

The research carries positive messages too. The results of stress are not inevitable and there are things we can all do to manage stress and reduced its impact. Furthermore, evidence shows that a good quality relationship between parents and babies after birth can mitigate the impact of early stress on babies’ development, which  is why services that support healthy parent-infant relationships are so critically important.

Continue reading Stress in Pregnancy – Society’s Problem