Maternal Mental Health

Don’t be afraid 1 in 5 of us mums in the UK have a mental illness.

What about us?

I was sat in my local hospital’s ante natal clinic waiting area. I’d just had my 12 week scan for baby number 4. I had a huge 10 year gap between my previous 3 children and since then, I had struggled with my mental health and had a severe mental breakdown. I sat there feeling a little scared. I eagerly scanned the notice boards and posters looking for support and help for someone like me. There was an abundance of information from everything you could think of that might affect mums to be and new mums. So much advice and support; breastfeeding, domestic violence, coping with twins, group B strep the list went on and on. But what about us?

You are not alone, I got you!

I couldn’t find anything for mums with mental illnesses!

No poster, no information leaflet, nothing. Where was the information to help us crazy mums? This is something I had to change. In April 2019 I created my very own campaign that coincided with that years ‘maternal mental health awareness week’. I want other mums to be, to sit in the waiting room and know that they too can get help and support. So, I contacted mums in my mental health support group and they helped me to make this amazing campaign poster. We are using our faces, and our stories, to show other mums and mums to be that they are not alone. I campaigned tirelessly and had some great results in my local area. So, many organisations put the campaign poster up, including the local hospital ante natal clinic! I even got myself on the news of my local radio station too (click here to listen to it). Every year, I plan on making sure the posters are still up and trying to get even more places across the nation, to get the poster in their waiting rooms. I want to make this poster a feature nationally across ante natal clinics, baby weigh in groups, nursery etc you name it I want mums to see us and feel supported. Then there is this page, right here. One place full of support, information and guidance on maternal mental health.

Help & Support

What does it look like, to realise you have long term mental illnesses?

by Nicola Parker | Apr 7, 2023 |

How do you even realise you need help?

Don’t talk about your mental health, they’ll take your kids away!

by Nicola Parker | Mar 11, 2023 |

Your mind is against you, it is the scariest place on earth and the thoughts you have scare and cripple you. You just can’t see past ever feeling anything but a pointless existence. Everyone else goes to therapy or speaks to people about it. But for you it is...

Are you being your own victim?

by Nicola Parker | Feb 15, 2022 |

I used to say to myself so often, "It is not my fault I had a difficult childhood, I can't help what happened to me and what it has done to my mental health." I have a huge truth bomb to drop and I dropped it recently during one of my Top Tip Tuesday's, live in my...

Big Girls Don’t Cry

by Nicola Parker | Dec 7, 2020 |

How I learned that actually, big girls DO cry. I spent most of my adult life never crying, not fully, not a proper cry, not letting it all go. Then I finally looked at it and unpicked why I didn’t let myself cry.

You Don’t Deserve It, You Are Too Selfish

by Nicola Parker | Oct 13, 2020 |

Ever feel like you are the most selfish person ever and that because of that you don’t deserve anything?

Finally, how to make more time!

by Nicola Parker | Sep 21, 2020 |

Time is what we want most, but use the worst - William Penn These past few weeks I have found myself feeling so trapped and stuck and getting more and more frustrated at the same old situation. "I just don't have enough hours in the day to get everything done"...