The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has today called for urgent investment in perinatal mental health support as part of events for World Maternal Mental Health Day (7 May).
Low mood and poor mental health affect many people, but during the perinatal period women can be particularly vulnerable. Pregnancy is often portrayed as a time of great happiness, but for many women it can be anything but, as they cope with the huge adjustment to their lives becoming a parent entails. It can be a time when women need the most support with their mental health.
During pregnancy and up to one year after birth, one in five women will experience mental health issues, ranging from anxiety and depression to more severe illness and in the worst cases lead to suicide. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in new mothers.
The RCM has long raised the need for better perinatal mental health support, with investment not only in services, but also the midwives that provide them.
The RCM is also proud to support the Maternal Mental Health Alliance’s (MMHA) Everyone’s Business campaign which calls for calls for all women across the UK to receive the mental health care they and their families need during pregnancy and postnatally. Although, thanks to events like World Maternal Mental Health Day and Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, talking about mental health has become more common and accepted in society, some women are still reticent to share their concerns.
RCM Chief Executive, Gill Walton, said:
“The RCM has long campaigned for better mental health support for women throughout pregnancy and in the postnatal period. Demand often outstrips supply when it comes to perinatal mental health support, so there needs to be better investment in support for pregnant women and new mothers.
“Many of us think of new parenthood as a happy time, but for many women and families the strain can have a profound impact on their mental health. Tragically, suicide continues to be one of the most common causes of maternal death. Making sure that women have access to good, appropriate mental health support, both during and immediately following pregnancy, is vital.”
Firm action is needed to develop more and better support for women, which is why, in 2023, the RCM published a landmark perinatal mental health road map, a set of guiding principles for perinatal mental health services which was widely welcomed by midwifery leaders. If these recommendations are followed, it can lead to improved mental healthcare for pregnant women and new mothers in the UK. Midwives are the key to better mental health. The midwife spends more face-to-face time with women during their birth journey than any other healthcare professional. Midwives can spot problems early on and put strategies in place for dealing with them.
*Photograph of RCM’s Janet Fyle attending MMHA Parliamentary event to mark World Mental Health Day
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