Thumbswood Mother and Baby Unit celebrates Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week

09 May 23

Last week was Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and mothers and babies, past and present, joined the team from Thumbswood mother and baby unit at Kingfisher Court for a picnic in the garden.

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on talking about health problems before, during and after pregnancy. It is an opportunity to raise public and professional awareness of perinatal mental health problems, advocate for women and families impacted by it, change attitudes and help people access the information, care and support they need to recover.

Thumbswood is Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trusts’ (HPFT) specialist inpatient unit offering treatment to women experiencing significant mental health difficulties during pregnancy and baby’s first year. New mums and their babies may spend only a relatively short time on the unit, but the impact the team has on them clearly lasts much longer, with families delighted to come back to celebrate and catch up with the staff who supported them when they needed it the most.

One mum commented that although the time she spent on the unit was hazy at times, she’ll always remember the kindness and how well looked after she felt. Mums attending the picnic said that returning to the unit helped them realise how well they’d done.

One staff member described how special it was seeing mums and their babies looking all grown up and realising how long lasting the impact is that Thumbswood has on their lives. She explained that this was a feeling which was hard to put into words.

Mother and baby in ball pit

Thumbswood plaque

Related Pages

Thumbswood Mother and Baby Unit celebrates Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week