Maternal Mental Health

In celebration of Refugee Week we collaborated on a Twitter Q&A with Maternal Mental Health Alliance to draw attention to the needs of asylum seeking and refugee women.

Maternal Mental Health

More than 1 in 10 women experience perinatal mental health problems during their pregnancy or within the early postnatal years with around 70% of these women hiding or underplaying their illness. Examples of perinatal mental health problems include depression, anxiety, OCD, postpartum psychosis and PTSD.

Within this context, the needs of asylum seeking, and refugee women are particularly complex. The maternal mental health of these women is likely to be compounded by certain factors before and during their journey including but not limited, to sexual violence, domestic abuse, FGM and forced abortions. In addition, navigating a hostile asylum system results in this group of women requiring specialised care and support.

Our Mental Health team includes several different pathways, ensuring that we provide the most appropriate type of support at all times. We can provide complex mental health support to the women in our programme who are pregnant or have children up to 12 months old. This involves a mixture of one-to-one sessions, mental health phone check-ins and mental health follow -up assistance, to ensure that women receive adequate support and communication with the services involved in their longer-term physical and mental health support.

Women are able to self-refer into the programmes, or we accept referrals from professionals if consent has been given by the service user.

If you are an asylum seeker or refugee within the Liverpool area and you’re struggling with maternal mental health, please get in touch. Alternatively, if you are outside Liverpool, we have complied a list of organisations you can contact below.

References

https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/about/the-issue/

https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n895.pdf&ver=1674

Asylum seeking and refugee women

Happy Baby Community (Leeds) - https://www.happybabycommunity.org.uk/research-and-reports

Refugee Council - https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/our-work/mental-health-support-for-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/mental-health-support-for-refugee-women/

Supports for Mums and Families

Netmums

Netmums offer peer support via their Maternal Mental Health Drop-In Clinic.

Action on Postpartum Psychosis

Moderated Forum, click here to find out more.

One-to-one messaging available through the site, just register here

Email: [email protected]

Association for Post Natal Illness - https://apni.org

Helpline: 10am – 2pm – 0207 386 0868

Email: [email protected]

Best Beginnings - https://www.bestbeginnings.org.uk

Free NHS-accredited Baby Buddy app offering evidence-based information and self-care tools to help parents during pregnancy and early stages of parenting.

App users also have access to a confidential, text-based Crisis Messenger which provides 24/7 support for new and expectant parents who are feeling extremely anxious or overwhelmed.

Welcome to Maternal OCD - https://maternalocd.org

Peer support available, email [email protected] to arrange

PANDAS - https://pandasfoundation.org.uk

Helpline open from 9am-8pm every day – 0843 2898 401

Email support available – [email protected]

Petals - https://petalscharity.org

Petals offers free-of-charge specialist counselling to anyone who has experienced pregnancy or baby loss.

Web: petalscharity.org/counsellingcontact/

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 0300 688 0068

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Tel: 116 123 (this is a free telephone number and will not appear on the phone bill)

Web: www.samaritans.org

Email: [email protected]

Tommy’s - https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/mental-wellbeing/mental-health-during-and-after-pregnancy

Tommy’s has a team of in-house midwives who offer free support and information for women and their families at any stage of pregnancy and after the birth.

Web: www.tommys.org

Helpline: Tommy’s helpline has been closed temporarily but their midwives are answering questions via email, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Email: [email protected]

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