MATERNAL Mental Health Awareness Week (April 29 to May 5) is a campaign from Maternal Mental Health Alliance to ensure that mothers receive the support and care they need as they adapt to their new arrivals.

All parents can benefit from a little help and support. We work alongside organisations such as MMHA through our Helpline, offering advice to expectant mothers experiencing mental health issues and to new mothers who may need some help. Here in Yorkshire, we offer the Pregnancy in Mind service to parents who’ve experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, mild to moderate levels of anxiety or depression during pregnancy. Mental health problems during pregnancy and after a child is born affect more than one in five mums and around one in 10 dads, who might experience anxiety and depression. These experiences are more common than many imagine and can make it harder for parents to enjoy pregnancy and focus on building early bonds with their baby. That, in turn, can impact on an infant’s early development.

Pregnancy in Mind teaches parents mindfulness meditation and active relaxation techniques and coping skills and advises how to look after emotional health during what can be a stressful time. Parents who’ve taken part say it has helped them to manage negative thoughts, learn about connecting to their unborn baby and reduced worries about becoming parents. It has also helped them feel less isolated. These factors help parents provide sensitive, responsive care when their babies are born.

There’s also advice on the NSPCC website to help reduce anxiety for parents-to-be. Simple tips like talking about your worries with a partner, friend or family member can help. While planning is important, it’s good to take each day as it comes rather than worry about things you can’t control.

The NSPCC also offers support to parents and carers of very young children through campaigns like Look, Say, Sing, Play which encourages parents and carers to look at what their baby is focusing on and how they react, say what they’re doing and copy sounds their baby makes, sing along to their favourite tune and play simple games and see what their baby enjoys. Hearing silly voices, playing little games and singing regular songs helps a baby’s mind grow and develops powerful bonds. We also have a ‘Support for Parents’ page, with tips and advice, from babies’ and sleep and crying to looking after your mental health and wellbeing, as a parent. It also has a dedicated section for early years advice

To take excellent care of our little ones, we need to take care of ourselves too. There’s no such thing as a perfect parent; while one day can be calm, the next could be chaos. But however it’s going, we’re here. Our helpline practitioners offer parenting advice free on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk.