Emotional wellbeing focus of infant mental health awareness week

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 12-16 June.

Better Start Bradford’s 'Happy Mum, Happy Bump – Begin before Birth' campaign is highlighting the help available to families who struggle to cope with stress and worries during pregnancy, and aims to inform people of the lasting effects constant stress can have on both mother and developing baby in the womb.

Better Start Bradford will be handing out ‘Happy Mum, Happy Bump’ leaflets together with a small gift bag containing a massage ball with tips on how to use it to relax.

The gift bags and leaflets will be distributed at local antenatal clinics in the three areas Better Start Bradford covers – Bowling & Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton.

Rachel Wild, specialist midwife at Better Start Bradford, said, ‘Everyone has stress in their lives, and a little stress is fine. But, when we have ongoing stress for a long time, or a sudden traumatic experience, it can mean our level of stress becomes too much for us to bear on our own. When you are expecting a baby, this type of stress can affect the baby too, so it’s really important to support mums-to-be to help protect babies.’

Ms Wild added that, while it was not always possible to reduce the amount of stress in one’s life, it should usually be possible to get help and support.

‘Mums and Dads can speak to their family, friends, community projects, voluntary organisations, midwife, GP or health visitor. At Better Start Bradford we also have many projects to support families during pregnancy and post pregnancy such as our Perinatal Support Service, Bradford Doulas and Midwifery Support pilot to name a few.’