#MumTalk campaign launched

Depression anxiety and other mental health problems affect up to 20% of pregnant women and left untreated can have lasting effects on the emotional and physical health of both mother and baby. Nonetheless, the information and support provided to pregnant women on physical well-being far outweighs that offered on mental wellbeing and diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems is less likely to happen during pregnancy than at any other time.  The resources and services that do exist in this area are typically provided by mental health charities. They tend to reach women with an existing mental illness diagnosis or those identified by midwives as having potential problems. Overall, there is very little that works in a preventative way, or is aimed at women at the less severe end of the spectrum of mental and emotional wellbeing.

The Maternity Mental Health Alliance, is launching a new campaign called #MumTalk to shine a light on maternal mental illness in the UK and to reduce stigma around this issue. The public are being encouraged to share stories to show other women that they are not alone. As part of the maternity mental health alliance, the charity Tommy’s have also been developing information leaflets for all pregnant women on mental health so that women who have no previous experience of mental health problems are not excluded.

They are also calling for midwives, health visitors and GPs to be more aware of emotional wellbeing, and to open up conversations about emotional symptoms as well as physical during pregnancy. Tommy’s worked with several other organisations to develop the Wellbeing Plan, which has been endorsed by RCGP and NICE, to help women begin discussions about emotional health during and after pregnancy.
For more on this story see the Tommy’s site here