Warwick-based support service helping families with maternal mental health looking for people to join awareness walk

A Warwick-based support service helping families with maternal mental health is looking for people to join their awareness walk.

The Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week runs from May 4 to May 10 and includes an awareness walk followed by a week full of activities.

By Your Side, which was founded by Leanne Howlett, is a service user forum working with Coventry and Warwickshire Perinatal Mental Health Team, and focuses on helping to support families with emotional difficulties during pregnancy or in the year following the birth of their child.

Leanne said: "By Your Side is a peer support service I set up two and a half years ago after I experienced severe postnatal depression following the birth of my son.

"I had no previous history of mental illness but soon after his birth found myself severely depressed and ended up almost taking my own life before I sought support.

"I now work closely with local healthcare professionals to help train and raise awareness of perinatal mental illness and regularly work with parents to try and raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness so mums seek the support they need.

"One in five new mums and one in ten dads will experience some form of perinatal mental illness but so many know nothing about it.

"Raising awareness is crucial to ensuring parents get the support they need as soon as possible.

"We are working closely with the three South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust’s parent infant mental health specialist health visitors to organise a week of support and information for local families."

The week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental illness while pregnant or after having a baby starts on Sunday with the forum's annual awareness walk.

This year people are being encouraging people to do it themselves whilst they carry out their daily exercise

Leanne added: "Our walk is usually a much larger three-mile walk with an events village, which has been hosted at Ryton Pools and had over 450 people attend previously.

"This year we have had to postpone our full walk but are asking people to walk one mile on Sunday, which is the date of the original walk.

"We are asking that they take a photo or short video on their walk with a message of hope for anyone struggling with their mental illness at this time.

"Throughout the week there is a daily theme which we will be focusing on and communicating with parents on how to recognise the signs of mental illness and helping to signpost them to relevant support.

"We will also be holding online coffee mornings, craft sessions and holding a special virtual sleep support session amongst many other activities, blogs and videos we will be sharing with local families and healthcare professionals."

To find out more search @ByYourSidePerinatal on Facebook or @ByYourSideForum on twitter. Alternatively email: [email protected].