All posts by APP

Wellbeing Boxes

Thank you to Rachel Lucas who is helping to raise money for APP with her wellbeing boxes for motherhood, supporting women in pregnancy and postpartum.

Rachel developed postpartum psychosis in the days following the birth of her daughter Evelyn and spent six weeks in Leeds Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).

She has now developed the Brand New Mum box which she is selling via her website www.pourlamaman.co.uk, donating some of the profits to both APP and PANDAS Foundation. You can watch a video of the wellbeing boxes here.

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel says ‘As mums, we face new challenges daily, and these challenges become even harder when all our time and energy is used up on our little ones. It is so important we take the time to recharge, and think about our needs too. I was inspired to do something to help make things a little easier for mums, and so Pour la Maman was born.  With our thoughtfully curated wellbeing boxes to support women in pregnancy, postpartum and beyond, we truly hope we can make a difference. We hope you love our boxes as much as we do.’

Rachel is a big supporter of APP and is also one of our trained Peer Support Volunteers. She held a fundraiser with her family and friends called ‘Four million steps for APP’ during the month of November last year.

Thank you Rachel for your continued support of APP.

If you have been inspired by Rachel, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have! Get in touch here. We would love to support any event you choose.

Lauren’s Virtual Kiltwalk challenge for Action on Postpartum Psychosis

A huge thank you to Lauren Forrest who took part in the Virtual Scottish Kiltwalk over the weekend of 23rd to 25th April 2021 to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work.

Lauren is a Psychologist working in mental health, and issues affecting the perinatal period interest her. Lauren started the Couch to 5k after the birth of her second baby in September and says keeping active had been a lifeline for her, especially during lockdown

Together with her husband, they ran 10k on one day, and walked 10 miles the following day. Following the challenge, Lauren said ‘It was a nice weekend weather wise and we have lovely scenic routes around East Lothian.  We did a lot of walking around here during my pregnancy and when baby arrived during lockdown. It’s been nice having time to focus on getting my fitness back and of course a bit of a child reprieve! I also have a running buggy now so I am looking forward to having some runs with my mini passenger.

The work of APP is so important to aid recovery of women, increase awareness and educate, facilitate research into postpartum psychosis and improve current services. It’s been a privilege to just play a very small part in supporting the charity.’ 

Lauren’s challenge has raised more than £250 for APP, and all funds will be topped up by 50% thanks to Sir Tom Hunter and the Hunter Foundation. We would like to thank Lauren for supporting APP and everyone who has donated.

You can still visit and donate to Lauren’s fundraising page here.

If you have been inspired by Lauren, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.

 

The Wasleys 10K run for Action on Postpartum Psychosis

A huge thank you to Chris Wasley and his wife Natalie who ran 10k on Sunday 18th April to support and raise money for both APP and the Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at Bournemouth.

Natalie had PP in 2019 and had a total of three stays in the MBU at Bournemouth. Despite the illness, Chris and Natalie have many fond memories of their time there and say that the care the staff provided for Natalie and their son was amazing. Chris has found APP’s Partners Peer Support scheme very supportive.

In January 2021, they decided to start running with the goal that together they would complete a 10k run and share their story to increase awareness of PP.

Chris and Natalie both achieved their personal best times in the 10k run, and met a man at the event whose close friend had experienced PP.

Following the run, Chris said ‘Thankyou to everyone for the support and donations, but more importantly thank you for taking the time to read about our PP story.

We could not have dreamt of the amount we have raised for APP and our MBU in Bournemouth, but to us the most incredible thing we have achieved is raising awareness for this illness.

Chris and Natalie’s fundraiser has raised more than £1700 for APP and the Bournemouth MBU. We would like to thank Chris and Natalie for supporting APP and everyone who has donated.

If you have been inspired by Chris and Natalie, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have! Get in touch here.

 

 

Why we need more maternal mental health awareness for Black and Asian women

This Time to Talk Day (4 Feb 2021), we’re calling for more targeted awareness campaigns to support Black and Asian women in response to inequalities in maternal mental health.

According to a report from MBRRACE, mental health conditions remain the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths between six weeks and one year after giving birth (30%), and maternal suicide is the leading cause of death over the first year after pregnancy. However, there is a striking gap between the mortality rates for Black and Asian women, with Black women four times more likely to die in pregnancy than white women, and Asian women twice as likely.

Postpartum psychosis (PP), a severe and debilitating mental health problem that affects 1400 women in the UK each year from all backgrounds, plays a key role in this shocking statistic.

Our CEO, Dr Jess Heron, said: “We are saddened that the national mental health campaign, Time to Change, is having to close its doors this year, so we feel that, as a charity, we must continue to tackle stigma, and encourage conversation about severe postnatal illness. Our research with women from Black and Asian backgrounds who have experienced postpartum psychosis shows more needs to be done to reach communities with information, to tackle stigma and self-stigma. Women describe barriers to accessing services. Health professionals and charities need to reach out to different communities in response to their unique challenges. With Black and Asian women significantly more affected by pregnancy mortality, perinatal mental health charities must have tailored services and campaigns.”

As such, at APP we have decided to use this year’s Time to Talk Day to share the stories of volunteers from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities who have experienced PP.

Plus, Shaheda Akhtar, one of our Peer Support Facilitators is offering talks and presentations to community groups and health professionals and is keen to encourage more women from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to access information about PP. She says: “I want to start the conversation about PP and work with organisations who are already doing lots of great work in their communities – either in terms of mental health more broadly or dedicated women’s groups.

“We have volunteers trained in peer support and they are keen to support women using their own personal experiences from the perspective of a Black or Asian woman. Cultural identity and faith identity are important, and many of the women I have spoken to have expressed how both played a significant part in their PP experiences.”

Shaheda is also looking to contact more health professionals who work in maternity services or perinatal mental health from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to get involved in awareness raising campaigns. Shaheda added: “A psychiatrist or nurse who understands a community’s culture or faith will have a powerful impact in delivering our messages about what PP is and how women and their families can get help.”

Catherine Cho, author of Inferno, shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer Award, which recounts her experience of postpartum psychosis says: Maternal mental health, particularly in Black and Asian communities, has an added layer of cultural pressure and shame. It's often viewed as something that should be kept quiet and hidden away. I hope that by opening up the conversation around perinatal mental health, we can show that these experiences do not have to be feared or kept in the dark." 

To read Catherine’s story, you can buy her book, Inferno, from all good bookstores and online with Waterstones.

Anyone representing a faith or community group who would like to arrange for a talk from APP, or any maternity/perinatal mental health professionals who would like to get involved, should email Shaheda at shaheda@www.app-network.org or message her on Twitter @Shaheda_APP

Mother and Baby Unit Pamper Packs

A huge thank you to APP Volunteer Gemma for organising pamper packs to be delivered at Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) at Christmas.

The packs included make-up items from Boots UK and Soap & Glory to help mums feel special, books from Book Trust for story time with babies and leaflets about APP’s peer support for mums and families. Gemma organised the packs as a way of giving mums a little bit of “me time” to help their recovery, alongside the invaluable help and treatment the MBUs provide.  She also hoped that the Nursery Nurses and other staff would find the books useful in encouraging mother and baby bonding.

Gemma has been a volunteer with APP since 2018, and has also held a fundraiser for APP. She says “I suffered with postpartum psychosis in 2017.  Through this I gained an understanding of severe anxiety and depression and wanted to train as a peer supporter in 2018 in order to support others through their recovery journey. I also support the Birmingham project through attending the cafe group and really enjoy making a positive impact on others’ recovery. Last Christmas I returned to my own MBU in Stafford and was able to thank staff and provide a small amount of pamper packs. This year I wanted to reach every MBU in the UK over Christmas, as this period can be so difficult. I feel this is such an important step for mums not only to promote relaxation and self-care, but more importantly to raise awareness of APP, the support available and the ways in which they can get in touch.”

We have received some lovely feedback from MBUs across the UK. Staff at the Rosewood MBU in Kent said “Thank you so much for the donations we have received today, the self-care packages and books are lovely, and I know something that will really support the mums’ recovery, especially while we have a few isolating. It could not have come at a better time. Also thank you for the leaflets which are really helpful to give to families and provide them with insight and knowledge that their loved ones will get better.”

Staff at the Thumbswood MBU in Hertfordshire said “Thank you very much for your support and showing the generosity towards our MBU. We have distributed the pamper packs to our mums and they were very thankful. I think it was a fabulous idea during this difficult time.”

Staff at the Livingston MBU, Scotland said “Our team was blown away with your generosity and hard work. We were all wondering what the delivery was and initially thought it was toner cartridges we were waiting on. As you can imagine we all got so excited and felt overwhelmed with the kindness you showed and gave to our mums.”

Thank you Gemma, for all your hard work in organising and delivering the packs to the MBUs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Stevenson-Pugh's hair shave for Action on Postpartum Psychosis!

A huge thank you to Kate Stevenson-Pugh who had her hair shaved on 12th December to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work.

Kate developed postpartum psychosis after the birth of her first baby.

Following the head shave, Kate said ‘Action on Postpartum Psychosis is such an important charity for women affected by PP and recovering. I’m absolutely thrilled that the total raised so far is up to just over £1,380 with gift aid. My hair is gone and my ears are chilly!’

Kate’s fundraiser has done a fantastic job of raising awareness, as well as funds, through her JustGiving page, which you can still visit and donate to here. Thank you Kate for your support of APP and to all who have donated.

If you have been inspired, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch with us here.

Dominic's TikTok live stream to support APP

A huge thank you goes to Dominic Bamber, who a year and a half after skydiving for APP, organised a TikTok live stream event and video challenges on 1st January 2021 to raise awareness and money to support APPs work.

Dominic is a committed supporter of APP and has a sister who was affected by the illness, so the charity is close to his heart.

You can find a link to Dominic’s TikTok page here.

Dominic’s fundraiser has done a fantastic job of raising awareness, as well as funds, through his JustGiving page, which you can still visit and donate to here.

If you have been inspired by Dominic, APP would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch by email.

 

 

Four million steps for Action on Postpartum Psychosis!

A huge thank you goes to Rachel Lucas and friends, who together as a team of 11, walked four million steps for APP during the month of November to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work. Rachel developed postpartum psychosis in the days following the birth of her daughter Evelyn and spent six weeks in Leeds Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).

Following her amazing efforts, Rachel said We were very pleased we beat our target for the steps and the fundraising! It was harder than we expected to keep up the minimum steps every day for a whole month. Especially on work days, with the weather being miserable a lot of the month and the fact we had a few members of the team in isolation at various times! But it was good to have something to get us through the lockdown. I’m glad to hear our fundraising efforts will make a big difference.’

Rachel has signed up to be one of our five runners in the London Landmarks Half Marathon (LLHM) which will take place on 23rd May 2021. We hope your training goes well and you are looking forward to the big day.

Rachel’s event has raised such incredible awareness and funds through her JustGiving page, which you can still visit and donate to here. Thank you Rachel and friends for your support of APP and to all who have donated!

- Rachel’s event has so far raised more than £1,500 for APP!

If you have been inspired by Rachel, APP would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.

APP Train New Peer Support Volunteers

19243321_1525222677551401_2333541685529317762_oIn June we were able to train 8 new Peer Support Volunteers. It is amazing to have the new volunteers up and running to ensure our Peer Support Service can continue meeting demand from mums and families affected by PP, both on the PPTalk forum, and in 1:1 messaging.

It was a wonderful day and really special to be together as women who have had PP and share our experiences. Three of our newly trained Peer Support Volunteers told us how they felt about the training day. 

Kat: Since the training, I’ve felt empowered and supported to provide responses on the online help forum, and to take on my very first “one to one” email support case. It’s not always easy. Sometimes peoples’ problems seem more complex than *just* PP. And of course everyone’s experience differs wildly. But there is always a way to empathise and reach out to others through our shared experience. And it is incredibly worthwhile and satisfying work. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to support others through this illness. When I was dreadfully ill myself my husband found the APP forum and received amazing support through it: practical, empathic, specialised and ongoing for many months. And now I can start doing the same for others - as a family, we have come “full circle”!

19238150_1525222550884747_4947798136619672255_o

Claire: It was really amazing to meet and spend a whole day training alongside other women who have suffered Postpartum Psychosis and to join an online community of peer supporters who are rallying together to transform their individual traumatic experiences into something positive for other people. I feel confident after the training that I know how to look after myself whilst being able to provide some lived experience advice and support to those who ask for it. I feel very honoured to have been given this training and I hope to provide the kind of help I needed at my worst point of the illness.

19143800_1525222547551414_4278475141883093972_o

Sabine: The reasons for my motivation in taking part in the ‘Peer Support Training’ I guess are multi-layered, unique and personal, - in a way signifying a milestone of where I have been and where I am today. 

I definitively wanted to feel more reassured and cushioned when responding to mums and family members on the forum. When joining the APP forum I did not feel on my own anymore; the numbness inside me had vanished, - the lid was opened and I was able to talk to compassionate and kind ladies on the forum.

Now there is a ‘SENSE OF BELONGING’, since meeting those very special women, not only the ones who organised the workshop, but the 7 other newcomers, who wanted to become volunteers. I feel happy, because my story is out there and shared by other females. I feel as if I have a voice. I have been able to tackle London and met some wonderful women, who were strangers to me.

I would like to thank APP and everybody involved for the location and choice of venue, the participation and contribution of workshop members, ‘the individual and special support’ before and during the event, enabling and creating a positive and relaxed atmosphere, but especially the superbly organised and very professionally-led workshop by Jess, Clare, Hannah, Ellie & Amy.

Our Peer Support Service is kindly supported by Comic Relief, The Allen Lane Foundation and the generosity of individual donors and fundraisers. 

Alice's Inquest Verdict

The verdict from the inquest into the death of Alice Gibson-Watt makes for difficult reading and our thoughts and hearts are with the Gibson-Watt family at this dreadful time.

Postpartum Psychosis is a shocking and severe illness and much more must be done to prevent such tragedies. More research is needed to understand the causes; more must be done to inform and support families; more awareness, high quality training, more funding, more compassion and understanding is needed.

The BBC spoke to Anthony, the widower of Alice Gibson-Watt. He said "I had no idea about postpartum psychosis". Watch here.

We thank Alice’s friends, family, and workplaces for their support of APP in memory of Alice, raising funds to help us provide information, peer support, training, conduct research, campaign for better awareness, understanding, and specialist services for all who need it.

Our volunteers feel this loss terribly. Many know that this story could also have been theirs. We are passionately committed to working in all the areas needed to prevent tragedies occurring caused by this severe, distressing, but treatable postpartum mental illness, which affects around 1-2 in every 1000 families after childbirth. For most women and families, the outcome is positive and families recover, but the reality is that mental illness and suicide are still a leading cause of maternal death.