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A new project to improve maternity services and show families that there is no shame in needing extra help been launched by an independent, multi-agency group.
Parenthood can be a challenging journey, especially when it comes to mental health – an aspect that is often overlooked.
Express spoke to the new group hoping to change that, and a local mum and mental health advocate about why it's time for the "stigma" around wellbeing challenges for new parents to go...
Pictured: Perinatal Mental Health midwife Josephine Lane (left) and Jersey Maternity Voices Partnership Chair Emma Sykes among others have launched a new project to improve maternity services.
A new multi-agency partnership has been set up to review the availability and accessibility of mental health support based on public feedback from islanders about their maternity care experiences.
They are also creating a guidebook with resources, wellbeing tips, and mindfulness exercises to better support parents.
The team is made up of the Perinatal Mental Health team and the Jersey Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) – an independent government-funded group of women, midwives, doctors, and health visitors. Charities like Mind Jersey, Baby Steps, and Brighter Futures are also involved.
Pictured: The Jersey Maternity Voices Partnership aims to give a voice to local parents who have used maternity services and to enable feedback to be directly shared with those who provide the services.
Since its launch in 2021, the MVP has collaborated on various projects, including a zero-alcohol-in-pregnancy campaign with the government's Public Health Department to raise awareness of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol.
The current emphasis on perinatal mental health seeks to recognise and support mental health struggles during the journey into parenthood, safeguard parents' mental health, tackle stigma, and prevent potential impacts on their children's well-being.
Emma Sykes, Senior Chair of MPV, said: “This is such an important topic and one that comes up regularly through our feedback. Often parents don't recognise the signs of perinatal mental health issues, and they don't know where to get help when needed.
"Nothing like this has been done before in Jersey focusing specifically on perinatal mental health and we are excited to be working on this project.
“As a society, we are much better at talking about mental health in general, but we feel that there is still a stigma around perinatal mental health. People still feel that they can't ask for help if they need it – that they will be branded a bad parent, their child will be taken away from them, or feelings of guilt for feeling like this when they have a healthy baby.
“Studies have shown that a parent's mental health can impact the development of a baby and child so as well as wanting to protect the mental health of the parents, we also want to prevent any knock-on effects on their children.
To address these challenges, individuals are encouraged to engage through email, social media, in person at the Maternity ward or by completing the online survey.
The project also aims to combat misinformation - something the team hope their workbook will help with.
Josephine Lane, Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Midwife, said: We all need the correct advice at the right time.
"Through this workbook, we can differentiate between what’s normal and what requires further assistance.
"It will allow open dialogue and encourage service users to have open discussions with their healthcare providers without fear of judgement."
"It also allows partners and families to assist in recognising the needs of the family as a unit. This will encourage early recognition and timely intervention where required improving the outcomes of every family involved."
Local mum and mental health advocate Nyah Whittingham said that emotional support for new parents was “crucial”, given that parenthood can be a "whirlwind" and a "mental challenge", with an "invisible but very real" mental load.
“We need to work harder to ensure mental health support is normalised for all parents, to help more new mums and dads feel less isolated when they might require access to mental health support," she said.
Pictured: Nyah runs a positive community group on social media and is mum to her 22-month-old daughter Birdie.
“I think supporting new mothers and fathers during such a huge transition will decrease the risk of post-natal mood and mental health disorders, and in turn, improve their and their baby’s quality of life.”
While the MVP’s project is focused on prenatal mental health, Nyah underscored the importance of post-natal support during the challenging early weeks and months.
“I do wish there was more emphasis placed on ways parents can access post-natal support, as it can be such a whirlwind and parents-to-be might underestimate how much support they will need in those early weeks and months.”
“Based on my own experience and the worries I encountered as a first-time mum, I think parents could benefit from the type of mental health support that is friendly, non-judgemental and informative.
“We need to be proactive in offering emotional support to new parents as the mental load is invisible but very real in today’s society” she added.
When asked about the new project, Nyah said she was “a big fan” of the idea.
“This initiative has the potential to be pivotal in what we expect of new parents and will allow parents to give themselves grace, take it easy and understand ways to take care of themselves, and perhaps prevent chances of mental illness creeping in.”
Pictured: "I think parents could benefit from the type of mental health support that is friendly, non-judgemental and informative."
“With their baby in one hand and an emotional support handbook in the other, I think we would be one step closer to ensuring new parents are equipped to support themselves, as they dive headfirst into the rest of their life as mum and dad.”
When asked what advice she would offer to other young mothers who may be navigating challenges related to mental health during their parenting journey, she said: “It is completely normal to feel exhausted, overwhelmed and nervous at times but it is absolutely okay to reach out for support from a friend, family member, or professional is you feel negative emotions creeping up more than usual.
“There is no shame in needing help."
Maternity Voices Partnership is running a survey asking parents about their experiences of mental health provision. It can be accessed online HERE.
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