Latest news with #postpartum
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Government funds more mental health support for pregnant women, new mothers
File photo. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. Photo: Dom Thomas More pregnant women, new mothers and their families will soon have better access to mental health support with a $4.9m fund targeting four under-served regions. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the new investment would pay for more clinical and non-clinical roles in community-based specialist infant and mental health services in Wellington, MidCentral, Hawke's Bay and Waikato. "This funding will mean more women can access the right care when they need it. These services can be life-changing not only for mothers but also for their babies and wider families," he said. "While becoming a parent is often a time of great joy, it can also bring real challenges for some. This funding will enable those who need extra support, whether they are facing mental health challenges during pregnancy or postpartum, to access the care they need." The investment would also provide support for families following birth trauma or stillbirth, and fund intensive home-based care packages for those with higher needs. "We're turning the corner on reducing wait times and increasing the workforce. Recent data shows Health New Zealand's frontline mental health workforce has grown around 10 percent since we came into government and over 80 percent of people are being seen within three weeks for specialist services. "When someone reaches out for help whether it's you, your child, a friend or family member this Government is committed to ensuring support is available." Suicide is the leading cause of maternal mortality in New Zealand, accounting for over 40 percent of deaths. Wāhine Māori had over three times the suicide rate of Pakeha. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'We felt numb' - women share experiences of early motherhood
One word keeps coming up when these mothers describe their experience of new motherhood: numb. Deborah, Emma and Izzy - successful women and doting mums - had struggled with their mental wellbeing after giving birth. At a time so often portrayed as joyous, celebratory and brimming with love - they felt nothing. It can sometimes be our body's natural defence to shut down - a way of coping with the overwhelming rollercoaster of hormones, sleep deprivation and societal pressures. New research suggests one in two mothers found it hard to cope postpartum and 43% considered having therapy - but didn't. These women are telling their stories to encourage others to seek help. Strolling through Wimbledon Park in south-west London, five-year-old Zion is chatting about his first year at school, Pheonix, two, is telling funny fibs, and Trinity, who is six months old, grins and giggles. Their dad stays behind the camera, offering attentive support to his wife, Deborah. It's a vision of family serenity. But a few months ago, it was anything but that. Deborah Williams recalls a moment, days after the birth of her third child - her mother holding the newborn, the family laughing and dancing. And she felt numb. She remembers thinking, "I physically cannot do anything other than sit here with a blank stare on my face even though my kids are happy and I'm looking at them and I want to get involved. I need to do something to break this wall down. "What this could become is me not being emotionally available to my kids and I don't want that reality at all." Emma Ferguson-Gould experienced a similar sort of joyless paralysis after the birth of her second child. "I was unable to get out of my armchair, wasn't enjoying anything, felt very numb. Everything felt very bleak and heavy," she told me. "I wasn't well enough, I suppose, or strong enough - or in-the-know enough - to advocate more strongly for myself at that point," Emma says. "And it really took getting to a crisis point to be prescribed the anti-depressants and be put in touch with the talking therapist team - and it really made a big difference." She's curled on a blanket in the shade - her third child, six-month-old Flynn, sleeping peacefully in her arms. Flynn's birth was traumatic. Because of Emma's history of maternal mental health problems, the health visitors and community midwives had a plan in place. She is working through a course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). "It's difficult, we're a work in progress," she says. "But I do feel very 'held' this time round - and more stable from that perspective." Both women are telling their stories as part of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)'s Positive Steps campaign. For its launch, quotes from women who have had therapy have been spray-painted on to a path in Wimbledon Park, one well-trodden by exhausted new mothers. BACP research has revealed that half of women have found postnatal pressures to have had an impact on their mental health. And two-thirds of new mothers find the bombardment of advice - from social media, family, friends, health professionals or even well-meaning strangers - does nothing to alleviate the stress, adding to what it calls the "motherload". One in 10 women experience post-natal depression (PND), according the the NHS. Symptoms include persistent sadness, trouble sleeping and feeling unable to cope. Some women can develop postpartum psychosis, a rare but serious mental health illness. The Positive Steps campaign is supported by Izzy Judd - she and her husband, Harry, from the band McFly, have spoken about their experiences. "You go out for a walk, you're pushing your buggy but you feel so lonely," she says. And there is a distinct pressure to succeed. "There's a very glossy image of what new motherhood looks like online and I think that adds the extra pressure." 'Someone alongside with you' Georgina Sturmer, a BACP registered counsellor, says women often feel there are barriers to seeking help. "As a new mum we don't have much time or much energy or the resources to dedicate to maybe finding the support that we need and carving out that time - particularly if we need to get childcare. "There's also a more in-depth emotional barrier a lot of the time because so much has changed in our life and we're struggling with so many new things that it can be really hard to feel like we deserve to find the support," she adds. But she says therapy can be "transformative" because it involves "someone alongside with you - they're in your journey". She recommends searching for a qualified therapist through the BACP website. Emma, for whom therapy has been very beneficial, advises mums and dads to make a plan before the baby is born and compile a list of numbers or places to access help. She says to "be honest" at the six or eight-week health visitor check-up. Parents can also contact their GP to arrange therapy through the NHS. Deborah adds: "When you've got so much to deal with and you've got so many expectations that you're managing, the idea of sitting in a space talking, feels like: 'I could do something in that hour. I could be productive, I could work on my business.'" "I just want to encourage as many mums as possible - if you need the help, ask for it. I can honestly say I was one of those people that said, therapy's not for me - but it's helped me." If you have been affected by the issues in this story, help and information is available on the BBC Advice Line page. More on this story Postnatal depression Postpartum psychosis left mum fearing she was dead London charity helps young mums thrive Strategies for coping with stress as a parent – The Psychology Mum
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trisha Paytas Pushes Back on Reincarnation Conspiracies: ‘My Baby Is Just a Baby'
Trisha Paytas probably feels like a passenger on Ozzy Osbourne's 'Crazy Train' as the internet continues to push conspiracies that her newborn baby, Aquaman, is the musician reincarnated. 'My baby is just a baby y'all,' the social media figure captioned a TikTok post where she played the song with the aside, 'What plays in my head 12 days postpartum and the internet won't stop with the reincarnation conspiracies.' Paytas gave birth on July 12, but didn't make the grand reveal online until July 22. Within hours of her announcement, news broke that Osbourne had died at the age of 76. Suddenly, there was a collective sense of déjà vu. As her comment section filled with people joking 'Welcome back, Ozzy,' it called to mind the fervor around her daughter Malibu, who was born the same day that Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022. The reincarnation jokes had reincarnated themselves. More from Rolling Stone Lollapalooza 2025 Outfit Guide: What to Wear and Where to Shop Regina Spektor Confronts Pro-Palestine Protesters at Concert: 'You're Just Yelling at a Jew' How Labubu Fans Are Using Gaming Tactics to Nab the Summer's Hottest Trend 'I was so out of my trolling era, and I was in such a good space spiritually,' Paytas told Rolling Stone in 2024. 'The fact that my pregnancy got ruined by trolling — now, I guess, it's kind of funny and karmatic. But it just made me so upset.' In a follow-up TikTok, Paytas added: 'I know reincarnation theories about my babies are just a meme, it's just what the internet does, but I'm not gonna lie — being 12 days postpartum sometimes make you feel a little cookoo. I'm like, wait, why does the internet keep wanting to put souls into my baby? First of all, reincarnation is only one soul into one baby, if you believe in that. Second of all, you guys, I don't know much about reincarnation, I just know that the soul has to be passed along.' She admits that the Queen Elizabeth II jokes were 'kind of funny,' though she found the Pope Francis theories (she was pregnant with Aquaman when he died) less comedic. But more than anything, she said, 'It makes me sad, it makes me feel like I did something wrong.' The Osbourne jokes are even more uncomfortable for her. 'Ozzy has real family, he is such an icon,' she said. 'It's more real. Ozzy's more real. There's real people involved and I don't know if they would love being tied to [him] being reincarnated. They just lost him. And then everyone else passing away, it's not my uterus doing it.' Best of Rolling Stone Every Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Best The United States of Weed Gaming Levels Up Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
What those sudden dizzy spells are really caused by - and the free trick that can banish them. Women are most likely to suffer - now doctors tell when to worry
As a new mother, you come to expect lots of weird and wonderful symptoms you've never experienced before. From brain fog to night sweats, breast engorgement to anxiety, it's quite the ride – but sometimes a sensation comes along that will ring alarm bells, even if you're familiar with feeling strange most of the time. For me, it was dizzy spells. During maternity leave with my second child, every so often I would feel as if the whole world had suddenly tipped on its side – my vision going with it – followed by an intense feeling of nausea as I regained my balance. This was not a symptom I'd read about in my postpartum leaflets, so obviously I immediately assumed I was dying.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Charlotte Dawson opens up about her post-partum weight gain as she shares before and after clips of her changing figure
Charlotte Dawson has opened up about her post-partum weight gain as she shared before and after clips. The daughter of late comedian Les Dawson, 32, welcomed her third baby, Gigi Dawson Sarsfield, in March. Reality star Charlotte has been very open about her weight over the years, and how her body has changed after each of her three pregnancies with sons Noah, four, and Jude, one, and daughter Gigi, four months. Updating fans on Wednesday, Charlotte promoted her Belleh Blaster plan with a weight comparison post. She shared a before and after clip of her body where she could be seen slimmed down after hitting the gym following the birth of Noah on the left. Meanwhile on the right Charlotte could be seen shaking her body, and described her belly as the 'funkiest it's ever been'. She wrote: 'It's a reverse Before & After guys - my fave! The pic on the left was after Noah (well not straight after cos I had a very chunkeh but funkeh belleh!) 'I really took my time getting back into shape cos I wanted to enjoy being a new mum and not put pressure on myself to snap back into my jeans. Ffs!! And the same with Jude too. 'But when the time was right my fabulous Belleh Blaster plan got me there and in total I lost something proper bonkers like 6 Stone!! It doesn't even look like me hahah I showed Noah he said who's that.' Charlotte continued: 'This time with Gigi my belleh is the funkiest it's ever been!! But I'm not rushing anything so I've just started with my Post Natal plan. Trying to get ma belleh muscles to move back together! 'But then I'll be onto Beginner Blaster. I've already started with the eating plan (adding an extra 500 calories cos am breast feeding).' It comes after Charlotte hit back at cruel trolls who have been telling her to lose weight. Last week, Charlotte could be seen holding baby Gigi while wearing a pink dressing gown as she looks at herself and grabs her stomach, lip syncing to 'Oh my god what is that.' She then takes off the dressing gown so is just wearing her black bra and pants before starting to dance and lip syncing 'Oh it's a bad b***h.' She shared a before and after clip of her body where she could be seen slimmed down after hitting the gym following the birth of Noah on the left Charlotte captioned the snap: 'Just about to take me Makey off n get into bed .. and had a thought. 'When tw** heads ask me 'Have you not lost weight yet?' She's only 4 months old for one, and secondly CHUFF OFF ….' Fellow reality star Lateysha Grace said: 'Sexy mama ! All you're kids are identical to each other too ! So cute ❤️❤️❤️❤️.' Fans of the star shared supportive comments as they praised her for being an 'inspiration'. They commented: 'U r literally the best female inspiration. When pregnant to post pregnancy and just normal life in general ❤️,'; 'Imagine sending gross messages to this woman and she's there living a lovely life with three cute kids and dancing in her undies… what a queen,'; 'Love this and you ❤️,'; 'Haters gunna hate Babes - your just perfect,'; 'Normal post baby weight is a sign that your priority is looking after your babies & not worrying about your image. Well done mama, you're doing a Grand job!'; 'Mines 4 years and I'm only losing the weight now cause I put myself on a diet! Sometimes we don't bounce back and thats okay. You're beautiful!'; 'I bloody love it!! Go girl!! You should be so proud of that beautiful amazing body that grew 3 amazing beautiful babies!! Your are so genuine and real.! I love it!! Swit swoo!!xx,'; 'I needed this so desperately. THANK YOU for this reminder!! I had my baby in March & I keep just beating myself up for not 'bouncing back' like everyone else.. but I've not given myself an ounce of grace or love, so thank you ❤️.'
