Empowering Maternal Mental Health

Maternal Health Awareness week aims to raise awareness of mental health problems that can affect women during pregnancy and after birth. As much as 1 in 5 women experience mental health problems during the perinatal period which, if left untreated, can have a significant and long-lasting impact on mothers and their families.‍

This seems a high percentage, but it’s maybe not surprising when considering the economic, professional, and social pressures faced by many mothers today; not least of which is the lack of support available for many families. In a society where communal living and extended family structures are less common, many mothers face the daunting task of child-rearing in isolation, significantly impacting their mental health.

‍It would be interesting to know how many women are asked about their mental/emotional states and stress levels during prenatal check-ups. As Gabor Mate cites in his most recent book‘The Myth of Normal’,research has found that:

In addition, links have been made between many adult physical health challenges and intrauterine stress. These findings would point towards the need to consider to what extent our culture supports or undermines mother’s capacity to hold their own and their infant babies needs as a high priority. The most primal need of an infant is a secure attachment, or emotional bond, with their caregiver, which affects healthy psychological development and can form a template for future relationships.

As the developmental psychologist Dr Gordon Neufeld states in his book co-written with Gabor Mate:‘Hold onto Your Kids, Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers’: