Latest news with #newmums
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New mother had 'terrifying' thoughts of hurting her baby
A mum who was plagued by thoughts of hurting herself and her newborn has spoken out amid a rise in new mums seeking help for their mental health.A specialist service which provides perinatal mental health treatment in the west of England has seen an 80% rise in referrals in the past three from Bath, said she had had "absolutely terrifying" thoughts of hurting her son and was at risk of taking her own life or abandoning her family before she asked her health visitor for help."Instead of judging me, they met me with so much empathy and understanding," the 36-year-old said. "I learned intrusive thoughts like the ones I was facing are actually really common, especially in new mums." The two community perinatal mental health teams in the West, which operate in Bristol, Bath, North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, received 4,816 referrals in 2024-25 - up from 2,668 in service is run by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) and its clinical development lead Becky Eva said more awareness of its services and a better understanding of perinatal mental health had played a "significant role" in the rise. Ms Eva explained maternal suicide was the leading cause of death for a woman in the first year of their child's life."The hope for the service is that we reach the women who need our service and we are able to give them access to psychological therapies and evidence-based treatment," she added. Becky was supported by the service in 2023 after experiencing postnatal depression and severe anxiety. While still in pain and recovering from giving birth, Becky said she had struggled to shower, eat and sleep while also trying to establish breastfeeding and care for her son. "On top of that, I was getting these really frightening, intrusive thoughts about harming my son," she added. "These thoughts, they absolutely terrified me."After experiencing symptoms for about six months, Becky said she had ended up "fleeing" her home in her dressing gown one evening after her husband had arrived said: "I walked to the nearest park in the dark and I walked around thinking 'I can't look after my son'."Everyone was telling me that I should enjoy this time, that this time goes so fast, and aren't I lucky? And I'm really struggling." 'Repulsed' Becky said she had had "just enough grip on reality" that she returned home and asked for help from her health was sent for a rapid assessment and received support at home from the mental health team until her son was one year said she had been "repulsed" by the intrusive thoughts and "desperately" did not want to act on them, meaning she was not considered a threat to herself or her baby and was treated at home rather than in a mother and baby unit. Becky told the BBC she felt it was "no surprise" an increasing number of women were using the service."I think a lot of it comes down to a lack of support we have within our community," she said."We're increasingly segregated and expected to raise our children on our own, whereas previous generations raised them within the family, within the community."She added: "Without the support from peers and the mental health team, I think I was at serious risk of taking my life or potentially abandoning my family." The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has said mental health problems frequently go unrecognised and untreated, with some women not seeking help due to the fear of stigma or of intervention by social adds perinatal mental health problems can have significant and long-lasting effects on a woman and her family, as well as on children's emotional, social and cognitive development. Ms Eva said AWP had provided training to help clinicians and people supporting new mothers recognise the signs of mental ill health."Mental health can deteriorate for a number of reasons, with additional stresses around finances and interpersonal relationships," she said."Our maternity and health visiting colleagues do those routine checks. We have done a lot of work to create a single point of access, which means all referrals come through to the specialist team."By having this single point of access, it creates a much better safety net." If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, information and support is available at BBC Action Line.
The Sun
27-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Benefit you've never heard of worth £500 for new mums
NEW mums could be missing out on a benefit worth £500. The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a scheme which offers a one-off payment to those expecting their first child or having multiple births such as twins. 1 The money is designed to help you cover the cost of caring for a newborn. The amount you receive can also vary depending on how many babies you are carrying, with parents expecting triplets eligible for £1,000. To qualify for the support, you or your partner must be claiming certain benefits such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit or Income Support. You must also have no other children under the age of 16, unless you are expecting multiple births. Other exceptions include caring for someone else's child and the infant was over 12 months old when the arrangement started. This does include caring for your partner's child. You may also be able to get a grant if you're adopting or becoming a surrogate parent. The baby must be less than 1 year old on the date you claim and you must be claiming benefits to qualify. You don't have to pay the grant back and it does not impact your other benefits or tax credits. If you are thinking about applying, you must claim the grant within 11 weeks of the baby's due date or within 6 months after the baby's birth. Carer Support Payment: New benefit for unpaid Scots How to apply To apply for the support via post, you will need to fill out a Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form. This form needs to be printed off and then posted to 'Freepost DWP SSMG'. You do not need a postcode or a stamp. You also need to provide evidence of the pregnancy or childbirth from a health professional, such as a doctor or midwife. They can either fill in a form MAT B1, which they should already have a copy of or write a statement confirming the pregnancy or childbirth. You will get a letter about whether your claim is successful within 28 days. But if you've recently made a new Universal Credit claim, it could take longer. What help is available for parents? CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help. 30 hours free childcare - Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours free childcare a week. To qualify you must usually work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. Tax credits - For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs. Childcare vouchers - If your employer offers childcare vouchers you can get up to £55 a week in tax and national insurance savings. You pay for your childcare before your tax contributions are taken out. This scheme is open to new joiners until October 4, 2018, when it is planned that tax-free childcare will replace the vouchers. Tax-free childcare - Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The cash-strapped mothers selling their breast milk amid rise in online groups charging up to £800 for 'organic' products
Thousands of women in the UK are selling their breast milk online and charging up to £800 for 'organic' products. Social media platforms such as Facebook are providing an unregulated booming market for those profiting off a high demand for breast milk, selling to other mothers who can't produce it and even adult men with fetishes. Traditional donor milk banks in the UK are struggling to meet the demand for breast milk as new mothers strapped for cash are increasingly turning to social media to sell breast milk by the ounce. A rise in online groups with thousands of members on social media platforms such as Facebook is instead being used to meet demand, often relying on mothers struggling to make ends meet to provide milk. New mothers selling refrigerated or frozen breast milk on the social media platforms are charging as much as £800, typically pricing between 60p to £2 for one ounce of 'organic' breast milk. Some women in the groups even said they were targeted by men asking for paid videos of them pumping for money. The women who spoke to MailOnline said they are resorting to the groups as an opportunity to boost their income whilst on maternity leave, which they said was often not enough to support them and their baby. Emily, a new mum and member of 'Buy and Sell Breastmilk UK' said: 'I'm a stay-at-home mum due to childcare expenses, and having worked in childcare myself and being on minimum wage I would have barely even had enough money after paying childcare costs. 'If men or women are willing to pay me to use my breast milk, which is great for everyone, contains amazing properties that are beneficial for all ages, then I would definitely just make some money from what I produce for free.' Another seller, who works at a financial tech company, revealed she sells her milk to have more time off work spent with her baby. 'My employer is certainly generous - they offer six month's full pay and then it goes to statutory pay for six weeks. However, this is still not enough to cover how long I actually want off with my baby before going back to work. 'I'm selling my extra breast milk because it's extra money that may help to fund one to two months extra after my maternity pay ends.' Currently there is no law regulating the sale of breast milk online, and mothers are free to sell their excess breast milk whilst on maternity leave if their employment contract allows. But experts warn about the dangers of buying frozen breast milk online and the risks of over-pumping to mothers. The Facebook groups MailOnline found also did not require health screenings or blood tests from sellers. Rachel Watson, a lactation consultant, said: 'This is not safe. How do buyers know they're actually getting breastmilk? 'Safe milk handling also worries me – there is no way of knowing how long that milk has been in their freezer, how it has been packaged, or whether the parts were hygienic. 'It's very easy for bacteria to be teaming in breastmilk, and if you have an immunocompromised baby and you introduce bacteria into their system because the milk bought has not been stored or handled properly, it could be extremely dangerous.' Rachel Watson also warned that pumping excess breast milk to sell could be detrimental to the mother and baby. 'Pumping an extra 60 ounces a day, for example, is not normal. Women can get all sorts of problems from over pumping, including mastitis, nipple blebs, nipple trauma, and the microbiome gets disrupted in the breast. 'Your body is not designed to produce one more drop than your baby needs, so it's not physiologically normal to be doing this. And freezing also reduces the amount of fat, calories, and micronutrients in the milk.' One mother, Sammy Jordan, told MailOnline how she joined a Facebook group selling breast milk after being unable to make enough herself to feed her newborn son. 'Unfortunately my son was an emergency c-section and he was in neonatal for six days, so we were separated for that period. After that my body just didn't respond [to produce enough breastmilk]. 'I did ask my GP/doctor about [free] donations but I was told there weren't any. 'Originally I joined to perhaps buy milk for him as I couldn't produce enough. 'I was worried about my baby having the best immunities from my milk and things like that. 'There is a lot of pressure to breastfeed, and your hormones at the time are all over the place. As a first time mum, you haven't a scooby what you're doing.' But Sammy decided not to purchase milk from the group, explaining: 'I couldn't guarantee that [the sellers] hadn't been drinking or taking drugs – even some medications can be harmful and I just wasn't prepared to take the risk. Mothers in online Facebook groups are offering discounts for bulk purchases of breastmilk 'I definitely think regulations need to be introduced. There are no medical certificates required in the groups or anything.' Adult men are also joining the Facebook groups in growing numbers to buy breast milk as bodybuilders or for sexual fetishes, MailOnline has found. In a message sent to one mother, a man from the Buy and Sell Breastmilk UK group asked one woman: 'Would you be interested in babying me alongside your son, I will pay £100 an hour to be your baby son.' There is some concern within the groups about women being exploited for their breastmilk. One member complained anonymously on 'Buy and Sell Breastmilk UK': 'To all the men on this group who are seeking to be nursed directly - admin please remove them - you guys should be ashamed!' The administrator of the group was forced to step in, warning other members to contact the admins if they had been messaged by 'anyone with fetishes.' The growing online breastmilk market also follows a rise in TikTok trends from bodybuilders encouraging people to include human breast milk in their diets, lauding its high-protein qualities. Fitness influencers are praising this nutritional 'secret' on TikTok, claiming it contains hormones key to building muscle – despite experts saying there is no scientific evidence to prove it. 'Charged Fitness and Rehab', a TikTok influencer, posted a video in which he drank his wife's breast milk, stating: 'It's all for the gains.' Isaac Rochell, another influencer, praised his wife's colostrum - the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands after giving birth - as 'liquid gold', telling his two million TikTok followers: 'I'm about to start putting breast milk in my protein shake. 'Before the baby comes women start producing something called colostrum. It's perfect for gains season. It's straight protein! Sure I could buy [colostrum] but it's like $100. I got plenty right here!' However, medical experts on TikTok such as Dr Michael Narvey warned that there are no proven scientific benefits of breast milk to bodybuilders, and that premature babies whose mothers rely on milk banks should get priority. Dr Harvey, a pediatrician with over 700k followers on TikTok, said: 'Aside from the fact that we're in a major formula shortage and so every drop of breastmilk that we have should go to babies, men need to understand that if you're using breastmilk to try to put on muscle mass, you need to be aware of what you're buying online. 'There are no rigorous scientific studies to prove a benefit here, so please stop selling breast milk online, and bodybuilders look to another source for gaining muscle mass.' MailOnline also found that 'unvaccinated' or 'vegan' mothers' milk' was being priced at the more expensive end. Advertisements for 'Premium Breastmilk' from mothers 'not COVID-19 vaccinated' are priced at the high end of the market for more than £1 per ounce, as well as from mothers following strict 'organic' diets. One listing on Facebook from the group 'Buy and Sell Breastmilk UK' stated: 'FOR SALE … Vegan, high-protein diet, taking daily organic, food-grown vitamin and mineral supplements, low sugar diet, no Covid vaccines or boosters.' Another group listing posted by a vegan mum said: 'I'm vegan so my milk is animal product free which of course includes dairy. Women are posting online details about the breastmilk they have for sale - but there is no mechanism to check the validity of their claims 'I'm in super health with a very healthy diet. The going rate seems to be £1 per ounce…' One seller's post even included a picture of the mother with her baby and asked: 'Why Choose My Breast Milk? 'I am a fit and healthy 35 year old mama… The vitamins and minerals in my breast milk are a direct reflection of my carefully balanced diet, ensuring the best possible nourishment for your little one.' The mum then went on to list her entire 'organic' diet, which included 'grass-fed steak' and 'natural organic whey protein isolate' as well as her 'lifestyle choices' and medical information, before stating that she accepted bank transfers, PayPal, or cash. Another listing from a mother on 'Buy and Sell Breastmilk UK' even advertised 1400 ounces of breast milk at 60p per ounce - for a whopping total price of £840. More vegan mums are choosing to raise their children on a plant-based diet than ever before, with TikTok influencer videos of 'Vegan what I eat in a day while breastfeeding' and even 'Homemade Vegan Baby Formula Recipe' videos getting thousands of likes. But for vegan mums unable to produce breast milk and with no vegan baby formulas currently available in the UK, the online marketplace is often the only option. Vegan mothers on the Facebook group 'Buy and Sell Breastmilk UK' have increasingly posted requests for 'vegan sellers', with one mother posting: 'VEGAN MILK NEEDED URGENTLY' and another: 'I'm due in April with my first baby and looking for a backup plan as I'm vegan and there are no vegan formulas in the UK.' In the UK, donor breast milk from milk banks is free to parents if it is part of hospital treatment or when provided at home in consultation with a health professional. There are costs associated with collecting, pasteurising and storing the milk at donor banks, usually from £95-£275 per litre, according to the British Medical Journal. Mothers can search for their nearest donor milk bank here on the UK Human Milk Bank's website.
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Brit girl band star looks as though she's barely aged 9 years after quitting fame for ‘normal job'
SHE once topped the charts as one-third of a bold British girl band, but now she's turning heads for a totally different reason. And this secret star looks virtually unchanged a decade on, after she quietly swapped fame for a job helping new mums across the UK. 6 6 6 While fans remember her for chart-topping bangers like Black Heart and Love Me with Stooshe back in the 2010s, Alexandra Buggs now shares her energy and insight with a growing online community of mums. The star launched her own business for expecting mothers called BundledJoysCo nearly three years after giving birth to her son Isaiah in 2022. She's selling pre-packaged hospital bags for labour, taking stress off parents at a key time. And she looks just as radiant as she did during her pop stardom days. Speaking about the inspiration behind BundledJoysCo, Alexandra wrote: 'I was shopping online for my hospital bag… and I called my best friend Eve, who was a mother of a 7-year-old, to ask if there was a place I could buy all my items from. 'She responded with a laugh and a hard 'nope, but there should be! 'It's such an exciting time in our lives preparing to meet our baby… but my gosh, the task list felt a little endless for me.' After juggling new motherhood and reflecting on how overwhelmed she felt sourcing everything from slippers to maternity briefs, Alexandra saw a gap in the market and decided to go for it. She added: 'After two years of being a mummy, I'm ready to take a risk… and start a business that offers a product and service to provide expecting parents with the information they need — and a space to purchase items for their hospital bag.' Alexandra first found fame with Stooshe when the group burst onto the music scene in 2012. They earned a Brit nomination and huge chart success before disappearing from the spotlight in 2016. Stooshe — made up of Alexandra, Karis Anderson, and Courtney Rumbold — performed a unique mix of pop, R&B and cheeky lyricism. Their breakout hit Love Me (featuring Travie McCoy) shot into the UK Top 5, followed by the emotional ballad Black Heart, which earned them the BRIT nom. They were compared to early Spice Girls thanks to their bold fashion and outspoken energy, but were eventually dropped by their label Warner. It happened after they clashed over a decision to record a version of TLC 's Waterfalls. The girls weren't happy with covering the iconic record, with Karis previously telling the Daily Star: 'We are pretending 'Waterfalls' didn't happen. 'That song was never our decision. We love the TLC version, but we didn't like it as a single for us.' They haven't released new music since 2016 and Alexandra last year posted on their official Instagram to confirm they have no plans to share new tracks. She said: 'Hey loves, I'm sorry to say we aren't announcing new music before I get your hopes up. 'Your girls a mumma (been for a couple years now lol) and I am starting a new business within the parent and baby space.' Meanwhile, Karis now plays the iconic Tina Turner in the hit West End musical - and gave Britain's Got Talent viewers a preview of the show, which tells the story of the late singer. 6 6 6
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Referrals to specialist mental health service for new mums surge by 80%
Referrals to community mental health services for new mums in the South West have increased by around 80 per cent in the last three years. Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) received 4,816 referrals in 2024/25, up from 2,668 in 2022/23. This coincides with Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from May 5 to May 11, 2025. Becky Eva, clinical development lead for specialist community perinatal mental health services at AWP, said: "There are several factors contributing to this recent increase, but it is likely that greater awareness of our services by clinicians and a better understanding of perinatal mental health, among the general public have played a significant role." Read more: Swindon's Abbey Stadium developers respond to criticism One mother, Becky from Bath, shared her experience: "The transition from woman to mother was one of the biggest, most confusing changes I've ever been through. "I felt like I lost myself overnight." Becky sought help from the AWP's specialist community perinatal mental health team towards the end of 2023. She said: "Instead of judging me, they met me with so much empathy and understanding. "I learned that intrusive thoughts like the ones I was facing are actually really common, especially in new mums." For those experiencing mental health needs during pregnancy or post-natal period, AWP advises contacting a local GP, midwife, or health visitor for a referral to the specialist perinatal team.
