Postnatal Maternal Mental Health
5 Talks
The postnatal period is one of emotional vulnerability and adjustment to parenthood, potentially compounded by birth, and its effects long reaching. The commonality and severity of postnatal mental health issues, with suicide remaining a leading cause of death up to a year postnatally, this topic remains central to the work of healthcare professionals. This boxset discusses the spectrum of mental health difficulties that can occur in postnatally, and explores interventions to reduce short and long term effects of psychological pathologies.
Postpartum psychological adjustment to childbirth
2020 | 18 mins | Postnatal Maternal Mental Health
Increasing Access to psychological therapies is a central theme to national guidance and service provision plans. Discussions around trauma-informed care within maternity services have become more common in recent years, as the gap between normal psychological adaptation to parenthood and postnatal distress are considered. In this talk, Alison Brodick, Consultant midwife at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, and clinical psychologist, Emma Williamson, discuss the benefits of appropriate debrief services in facilitating appropriate cognitive adjustment. They explore their defuse model of debriefing, promoting the therapeutic validation of women’s experiences through listening, explaining and normalising.
Alison Brodrick, Consultant midwife, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust
Dr Emma Williamson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Maternal mental health: the loneliness issue
2018 | 18 mins | Postnatal Maternal Mental Health
Becoming a parent changes everything. Coupled with the pressures of modern life and expectations, parenthood can be challenging. 1 in 7 will experience postnatal depression, and yet this period can be a lonely time, particularly with the return to full time employment and the pressures to be happy compounded by social media. Katie Massie-Taylor, co-founder of Mush and Saskia Roddick, Head of Marketing at Mush, discuss the online networking platform, Mush. Traditionally, a mother had strong support systems, however, with extended families living further away, these have become harder to access. This platform enables mothers to create connections with others. Katie and Saskia discuss the functionality of the platform, its benefits, and how midwives can become involved.
Katie Massie-Taylor, Co-founder, Mush
Saskia Roddick, Head of Marketing, Mush
Emotional midwifery support as an intervention to reduce development of Postnatal PTSD
2019 | 20 mins | Postnatal Maternal Mental Health
In this talk, midwife, Natalija Kolesnikova, Midwife, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, discusses midwifery care as an emotional intervention to reduce Postnatal PTSD. Providing a foundation in the evidence around trust, communication and sharing emotional wellbeing, Natalija goes on to examine the importance of communication as a tool to reduce fear, mistrust and stress during labour. Describing emotional intelligence as a key midwifery skill, Natalija concludes by exploring active listening, being attuned to feelings and support in processing emotions as interventions to reduce the development of PTSD following birth.
Natalija Kolesnikova, Midwife, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Contemplating another pregnancy after perinatal mental illness
2016 | 23 mins | Postnatal Maternal Mental Health
Elaine Hanzak, author of Eyes without sparkle: a journey through postnatal illness and Another Twinkle in the Eye, explores the support required to enable improved experiences in pregnancy after perinatal illness. Based in her own lived experience and an attitude of ‘think yourself lucky’, Elaine discusses the importance of language and communication, peer support and creating a birth library based on individual histories. She concludes discussing facilitating toolkits from which families can tools for self-help.
Elaine Hanzak, Author and Motivational Speaker
Training in Postpartum Psychosis: Evaluation and Lesson
2018 | 26 mins | Postnatal Maternal Mental Health
Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency. However, healthcare professionals lack confidence and training in dealing with psychosis. Despite suicide being a leading cause of death up to a year postnatally, there is no mandatory training for midwives. This talk begins with Dr Sally Wilson, Researcher and Lived Experience Trainer, share her experience of postpartum psychosis. Dr Jessica Heron, Director of Action of Postpartum Psychosis goes on to discuss the package of training that Action on Postpartum Psychosis offers to ensure the knowledge to provide appropriate care to those with this condition, concluding with a video exploring the lived experiences of women diagnoses with postpartum psychosis.
Dr Sally Wilson, Researcher and Lived Experience Trainer
Dr Jessica Heron, Director of Action of Postpartum Psychosis
