MY staff stories
Latest stories from colleagues across the Trust.
Working together to support maternal mental health
By Rachel Parker, Perinatal Mental Health Midwife, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, and Rebecca Thomas, Lead Specialist Midwife, Paths, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Maternal Mental Health Week (4 to 10 May) is a time to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and remind women, birthing people and families that they are not alone. For us, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the privilege of the work we do every day.
As Specialist Midwives for Mental Health, we have come together this week to highlight the importance of compassionate, accessible support for maternal mental health. We feel incredibly privileged to do this work - holding space, listening without judgement, and supporting women and birthing people to recover during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
Throughout the week, we will be out in children’s centres across Wakefield and Kirklees, creating welcoming, informal spaces where people can talk openly, ask questions, and find out more about maternal mental health and the support available. These conversations matter, and we know how powerful it can be simply to feel heard and understood.
We will also be spending time in Gynaecology and Maternity departments, raising awareness of mental health support following miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. These experiences can have a profound emotional impact, and it is vital that women and families know support is available during and after these losses.
At Paths, we support women and birthing people experiencing complex mental health difficulties linked to birth trauma, baby loss, fear of pregnancy or childbirth, and distress related to pregnancy and birth. Support may begin before pregnancy, continue throughout the perinatal period, and extend beyond it, because recovery does not follow a set timeline.
For us, Maternal Mental Health Week is about raising awareness, advocating for women and families, breaking stigma, and helping people access the care, understanding and compassion they need to recover.
Every conversation, every shared story, and every step forward is a reminder of why maternal mental health matters, and why listening, kindness and connection can make such a powerful difference.