New webpages launched to support new and expecting parents and their mental health
Warwickshire County Council and partners are supporting Infant Mental Health Awareness week with the launch of the new dedicated webpages to support parent and infant mental health.
Having a baby is a big life event. It's natural to experience a range of emotions during pregnancy and after giving birth/becoming a new parent. Providing support and tools to parents and carers in these early days can help to develop strong nurturing relationships within families and help children to develop emotionally.
The new webpages on the CWPT website provide information about the range of services available helping parents / carers and their baby to have the best experience – whether this is through support from a midwife, the local community or more dedicated support from the perinatal team. Case studies are available talking about experiences of accessing different perinatal services along with information about who to talk to about possible referral, what to expect and myth busting.
Councillor Margaret Bell, portfolio holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Warwickshire County Council said: “Having a baby is an amazing time, but it can also be worrying. As you adapt to the new changes in your life you may find that you need additional support. Whether you want some advice and tips on looking after your baby or you may be feeling lonely, anxious or struggling to cope – there are services available. Accessing the help you need is important to give you and your baby the best start together.”
Councillor Kamran Caan, Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Sport at Coventry City Council said: “It is important that we continue to work closely with our partners to provide parents in Coventry with the help they need in the early stages of parenthood and stand by them to reduce challenging stigmas.
“This not only means raising awareness among parents about the support available to them, but better equipping our frontline health professionals to recognise early signs of perinatal mental illness, have those difficult conversations and signpost accordingly".
For more information about mental health support available, how to access it and what to expect, visit the CWPT mental health support pages.