Lincolnshire NHS trust will be receiving a boost to their funding to support women’s mental health.
There will now be 17 staff on call to support perinatal mental health compared to the nine staff who worked across Lincolnshire’s hospitals before the extra funding.
After a successful funding bid from the Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, they have now earned a £365 million to expand the services and support that will now be available to new mums.
With an overall increase of mothers being referred to hospitals in Lincolnshire, the NHS were in dire need of this funding, especially because of this increase of referrals and women needing support from a professional before, during and after their pregnancy.
Mind is a mental health charity based in England that aims to help and support women who are suffering mentally during and post . One of their focuses is on new mums who are dealing with postnatal depression.
Sophie Lawson, from Mind said: “Having a baby is a big life event, and it’s natural to experience a range of emotions and reactions during and after your pregnancy. But if they start to have a big impact on how you live your life, you might be experiencing a mental health problem.”
According to the NHS official website there are many symptoms which can highlight when a women is suffering from a form of perinatal depression, these are;
- a persistent feeling of sadness and low mood
- lack of energy and feeling tired all the time
- trouble sleeping at night and feeling sleepy during the day
- difficulty bonding with your baby
A lot of women do not want to admit to suffering from prenatal depression, with most often being unaware that they are and could receive help if they ever experience any of the symptoms noted.
However, the NHS although they do not have a lot of funding from the government to support pregnant and/or new mums they do offer a lot of help for them.
Some of the support they can offer is;
- psychological therapy – your GP may be able to recommend a self-help course, or may refer you for a course of therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- antidepressants – these may be recommended if your depression is more severe or other treatments haven’t helped; your doctor can prescribe a medicine that’s safe to take while breastfeeding