Leamington mum joins national charity's fight for better mental health support for new parents

A Leamington mum who suffered from post natal depression has joined a national charity's fight for better mental health support for new parents.

Georgia, who is in her early 20s, is encouraging others to support the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's (NSPCC) Fight for a Fair Start petition so more people can receive the same level of care that she did.

Georgia’s pregnancy came as a surprise to her and her partner but together they decided to embrace becoming parents.

She already had experience of managing her mental health and when she was pregnant she spoke to a consultant about the need for support.

When she began experiencing post natal depression symptoms a few days after welcoming her daughter, she was put in touch with her GP and referred to support through the perinatal mental health team.

As a result, she received support quickly and began a course of video interactive guidance to help her confidence as a new mum grow.

Georgia said: "A new baby during lockdown was strange for everyone; my mum, dad, and nan couldn’t properly meet their grandchild and great-grandchild for months.

"We don’t have any new born photos of our daughter with extended family.

"Looking after parents mental health has a ripple effect and supports the whole family, and it’s especially important now with the mental health implications of COVID.

"Every parent deserves support.

"The right support at the right time eases the pressure on the NHS overall; when you think of the ways mental health issues progress and affect physical health - headaches, exhaustion, pain etcetera - you can see how having the resources in place to support parents quickly and fully during pregnancy and after birth benefits everyone."

Georgia wants people to support the NSPCC's campaign by signing its petition for the Government here https://www.nspcc.org.uk/support-us/campaigns/fight-for-a-fair-start/

The NSPCC has said: “We’re calling on governments across the UK to help parents get through this crisis by ensuring support is in place at every stage.”