Useful and Supportive Resources for New Parents

While becoming a new parent is an exciting period for many, there is no doubt that this time in your life can also come with its challenges. From the moment those two lines appear, your body changes, the way you live your life changes, and in turn, this can have a knock-on effect on the mental wellbeing of expectant and new mothers. 

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 4th May- Sunday 10th May) is a campaign which strives to shed light on mental illness for pregnant women and those who are in need of support after they have had their baby. The campaign works to end the stigma around maternal mental health, raising awareness and providing support for families who are in need. 

In support of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, here we have listed a number of different apps, websites and support groups that we hope will help aid your search for support if you or somebody you know needs it. 

Apps

Headspace is an everyday mindfulness and meditation app for stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, fitness and more. It helps you to build healthy habits and breaks down symptoms and feelings in simple and easy ways for users to understand and work upon.

Peanut referred to as the ‘Tinder for Mums’, connecting you to like-minded local mums, Peanut is a great app for any new or expectant mum wanting to meet friends and chat. The app offers a platform for parents to discuss anything that’s affecting them. 

Talk space is an online therapy app which connects you with licensed therapists from the comfort of your own home. The app is an easy and affordable way to get the support you need at a comforting and reassuring pace. 

Soundsleeper is an app which was developed by new parents to help newborn babies sleep but is also recommended for people with depression, anxiety and stress. It offers a range of white noise and soothing lullabies to help create a relaxing ambience at night time. 

Calm is a very popular app for meditation and sleep and works to help combat stress and anxiety. The app offers mindfulness topics and sleep stories as well as lots of relaxing music tracks. 

Websites 

MumsAid is a safe place to talk for mothers struggling to cope emotionally with pregnancy or a new baby, you can refer yourself here.

Tommy’s is an organisation which provides accredited midwife-led pregnancy health information for expectant parents and funds research into the causes of pregnancy loss. They have a great Pregnancy Hub section with lots of blogs and personal stories from pregnant women coping with anxiety during their pregnancy see it here

APP (Action on Postpartum Psychosis) is an organisation which provides support for women and families affected by Postpartum Psychosis. This is an information-led website, providing lots of support for those wanting to find out more or who are suffering from Postpartum Psychosis. 

Mind is a mental health organisation which provides advice and support to anybody experiencing mental health problems with lots of different resources and support methods on their website. The Mind website also has information about Local Minds so it will be worth checking out what mental health services are local to you. 

Support Groups

APP Peer Support Network and their online forum to chat to others who have been affected by Postpartum Psychosis. You can ask questions, share your experiences and find out more about PP.

PND and Me runs the hashtag #PNDHour every Wednesday at 8pm (gmt) on Twitter as a safe space for mums to discuss topics surrounding pre and postnatal illness. 

Mumsnet is the UK’s number one website for parents and offers a 24/7 postnatal health forum where you can chat with other parents about any of your struggles. 

In the meantime, don’t forget to follow each daily theme of Maternal Mental Health Awareness week 2020, starting Monday 4th May - see the schedule here and look up the daily hashtags on social media to follow the campaign. 

Thanks to Amelia Cunningham.