Maternal Mental Health Awareness 2025
The initial stages of motherhood are often filled with joy, yet they can also be daunting, both emotionally and physically.
It’s a time that many women may encounter mental health issues. The NHS reports that perinatal mental illness, which encompasses mental health from pregnancy to up to two years post-birth, impacts up to 20% of new and expectant mothers. Recent statistics from the NHS indicate that in the year 2023-24, approximately 57,000 pregnant women and new mothers accessed specialist mental health services, marking a 33% increase from the previous year.
This week marks the observance of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, scheduled from 5 - 11 May 2025. The campaign for this year, themed 'Your Voice, Your Strength', aims to empower women to discuss their mental health challenges openly.
On my own maternity journey, I felt completely distant from my life as a solicitor, as I tried to navigate life as a mother with a small person completely reliant on me. I was so grateful to those colleagues that took the time to check in on me, Kate Bear who treated me to a really nice lunch, Hannah Collins (she/they) who squatted with my baby to entertain him so I could nip to the loo, and team catch ups in the park as we had to socially distance. I slowly remembered the person who had built up a legal career over the last few decades and started to find balance: the 'new me' who was a mother, managing overwhelming love and anxiety, and the old parts of me that I wanted to take forward.
Similarly, my return to work after a blissful time with my children was filled with dread and anxiety, particularly as the first time around was in a pandemic. I was empowered by my supervisors at each instance, Leah Jones and James Arrowsmith to be open about how I was feeling and eased back into the every-day at work. HR also helped in being the first point of call to talk about my anxieties, and I’ll never forget being told, “we’re worried about you, can we get you assessed to help you to come back…”.
Reach out, there is help there. By sharing our experiences, we can offer support and reduce the isolation often felt by others. I hope that this helps those on their return to work, those who are about to go on leave, and anyone who has had a minute to look at their laptop during their maternity leave.
Contact
You may be interested in
Opinion - Maternity services
Maternal Mental Health Awareness 2025
Legal Update - Maternity services
A New chapter for families: Reflecting on the first month of the introduction of neonatal care leave
Legal Update - Maternity services
Celebrating midwives in England and Wales on International Day of the Midwife
Opinion - Maternity services
Celebrating maternity excellence
Opinion - Maternity services
Antenatal Screening Wales Annual Report 2022-24
Legal Update - Maternity services
The Generation study at UHDB: A pioneering approach to genetic healthcare
Legal Update - Maternity services
Improving maternity care for recent migrant women with language barriers
Legal Update - Maternity services
New rights to Neonatal Care Leave and Pay Act: What do employers need to know
Legal Update - Maternity services
Improving maternity safety: Insights from MNSI’s annual recommendation report
Legal Update - Maternity services
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust invest in telemetry to improve maternity care and patient experience in labour
Legal Update - Maternity services
Informed consent and caesarean birth: RCOG launches new obstetrics animation
Legal Update - Maternity services
MNSI annual report 2023/24: Key insights and future ambitions for maternity safety
Opinion - Maternity services
Enhancing care for women with ectopic pregnancies: Insights from MBRRACE-UK
Legal Update - Maternity services
DISCERN study published: How to improve discussions with families when things go wrong in maternity care
Opinion - Maternity services
Revolutionising patient care: Innovative kit for instant translation in 240 languages
Opinion - Maternity services
New Government plans for NHS maternity services: What can we expect?
Opinion - Maternity services
New online system streamlines maternity services at The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
Opinion - Maternity services
The power of parental touch for babies undergoing painful procedures
Opinion - Maternity services
Newborns born outside of hospitals at higher risk of hypothermia during emergency responses
Opinion - Maternity services
Health Service Journal reports on growing trend of “free birthing”
Legal Update - Maternity services
Introduction of baby loss certificates gives recognition to millions of bereaved families in the UK
Legal Update - Maternity services
Chesterfield Royal Hospital ranked amongst the top Trusts nationally in the 2023 Maternity Survey
Opinion - Maternity services
Coronial investigations of stillbirths - summary of consultation responses
Opinion - Maternity services
BBC investigation finds NHS interpreting service problems contributed to baby deaths and serious brain injuries
Legal Update - Maternity services
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan 2023
Legal Update - Maternity services
HSIB publishes 'Maternity Investigation Programme: Year in Review 2022/23'
Opinion - Maternity services
Racial disparities in maternity care
Opinion - Maternity services
University Hospital Leicester hold their inaugural Maternity Safety Conference
Opinion - Maternity services
Changes to redundancy protections for employees post-maternity leave
Press Release - Maternity services
Father Christmas comes to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire care of Browne Jacobson’s Birmingham Office Community Action Group
Opinion - Maternity services
The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and its impact on maternity services
Guide - Maternity services
Mediation guide for Clinicians: What do you need to know and how do you need to prepare
Opinion - Maternity services
Baby Loss Awareness Week
On Saturday 15 October a wave of light swept the internet when thousands of people flooded social media with pictures of candles to remember the babies that they have lost. This event signifies the end of Baby Loss Awareness Week which aims to break the silence that is associated with baby loss in pregnancy and infancy.
Opinion - Maternity services
The impact of COVID-19 on maternal deaths
HSIB published its report on Maternal deaths during the first wave of COVID-19. The report takes a closer look at the impact that COVID-19 had during the initial period of March to May 2020.
Legal Update - Maternity services
The Ockenden Final Report – a blueprint for safe maternity care from ward to Board
The much anticipated final Ockenden report was published on 30 March 2020. The final report sets out the findings of the review into care provided to 1,486 families, and sets out a blueprint for safe maternity care.
On-Demand - Maternity services
Maternity mock inquest - film 1
Consent is often a key issue in obstetric claims and if it is relevant to the facts of the death, its likely to be an area explored by a coroner.
On-Demand - Maternity services
Maternity mock inquest - film 2
This video illustrates some of the issues that can arise when a witness is poorly prepared.
On-Demand - Maternity services
Maternity mock inquest - film 3
This film highlights the importance of creating an open and transparent culture where staff feel able to speak up will help Trusts to identify problematic practise before significant issues arise.
Legal Update - Maternity services
Checklist when preparing for remote participation in an inquest hearing
Lockdown restrictions in March 2020 led to many inquest hearings being postponed. As restrictions eased, Coroners came under increasing pressure to reduce the number of delayed inquest hearings. In June 2020, the Chief Coroner issued Guidance No. 38 to facilitate remote participation in coroner’s inquests.