March 2023 newsletter
Happy Mother's Day
The APP team would like to wish you a very happy Mother’s Day for Sunday.
However you plan to spend the day, we hope it will be a special time for you. If you would like to support APP, you can buy your Mother's Day cards at Making A Difference Cards. Browse a huge selection of both virtual and actual cards, personalise, add photos, messages and puzzles here.
For those who find the day difficult or are remembering mums who are no longer with us, APP is here to support you. Our volunteers are on the forum every day of the year, or you can request email or video call support here.
Health professional training
Book now for APP’s one-day postpartum psychosis training on 27th March. The online training is led by APP's expert trainers, including:
- Professor Ian Jones (Professor of Psychiatry, world-leading academic in postpartum psychosis, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist);
- Dr Sally Wilson (National Training Lead at Action on Postpartum Psychosis
The workshop is suitable for any health professionals working with pregnant and postnatal women and families. It draws upon cutting-edge research into PP and bipolar disorder as well as the real experiences of women and families. The course develops knowledge and confidence in identifying postpartum psychosis, managing risk, developing pregnancy and postnatal management plans and supporting women and families during recovery.
Find out more and book here: https://bit.ly/APPTraining2023
Richard's Cycle Ride
If you follow APP on social media, you will probably have seen Richard Baish’s incredibly inspiring and moving video, shared with us last month.
Richard is on a mission to raise £50,000 for APP to help fund training about PP for frontline healthcare professionals, and to raise awareness, particularly in the antenatal period. He is raising money in memory of his amazing wife Alex who tragically died last year.
At the end of May, Richard and a group of friends will be cycling from Glasgow all the way to Witney in Oxfordshire. His training is in full swing and we are all so inspired by his dedication and positivity.
With his video and social media work, Richard has already done so much to raise awareness, and this is already making a difference to so many lives. Friends, family, colleagues and even people who have never met the family or heard of APP have been moved by his story and thanks to all of them, he is over halfway to reaching his fundraising target. We can't thank him enough for his support for APP.
We'll keep you updated on his fundraising and cycling progress each month. Please do add your support to his campaign and help him and APP create a lasting legacy for Alex.
Media Trust Women's Voices event
On International Women’s Day, APP's Jessie (APP Marketing and Digital Communications Coordinator) and Fliss (Fundraiser) took part in the Media Trust Women’s Voices event at Google HQ in London. Thirty inspiring charities that support, campaign and advocate for women and girls were invited to take part, along with 150 volunteers from media, comms and creative backgrounds.
APP was given the support of comms and media industry experts from Ogilvy, Initiative and Sense Marketing to work on our Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week campaign, identifying creative ways to increase its reach and impact. Jessie was also given the opportunity to speak at the event about APP, raising awareness of PP and our work.
Thank you to Media Trust for the opportunity, and our volunteer team for their hard work and creativity.
Bipolar Commission Survey
The Bipolar Commission is asking people aged 18 and over who are living with bipolar to take part in a survey on hypersexual behaviour.
The survey takes about 20 minutes and all data collected will be anonymised.
If you can help, you can take the survey here. It’s open until the end of this month.
Media and film
Radio 4 broadcast ‘Shocking’, a documentary about ECT featuring Tania Gergel, Director of Research at Bipolar UK in February. The programme is now available as a podcast: BBC Radio 4 - Shocking.
BBC World Service featured The Comb, the story of a Kenyan mother’s experience of PP. Listen here.
Irene's Ghost , a film supported by APP, will be screened on 21st April at Leicester’s Phoenix as part of the REAL Documentary festival. The film is a moving portrayal of the intricacies of family life, and the impact of the things we don't discuss. Part documentary and part animation, it follows Iain Cunningham’s search to find out about the mother he never knew. Iain will be talking about his story as part of the screening. Tickets will be available from 1st April.
Fundraising
A huge thank you to our amazing fundraisers who have been busy this month completing some epic challenges! Lee Smith has overcome illness to get back to his mission and is running 5k every day for a month right now – find out more and support him here.
APP volunteers Chris and Natalie Wasley (pictured above) spent a very cold Saturday in March walking more than 16 miles along a costal path from their home to the MBU where Natalie spent time after their baby was born. They raised nearly £1,000 to be shared between APP and Florence House MBU – and even managed to fit in an ice cream or two along the way!
Matt and Amy Shaw ran the Shrewsbury 10k last Sunday – raising money for APP to say thank you for the support the family received when his wife Katherine was ill after the birth of their son. Katherine has shared her story with APP here to help raise awareness and there’s still time to support Matt via his fundraising page.
Next month we have runners taking on big events for APP – Rob Rowe will be taking part in the Brighton Marathon and Natalie Varley in the Manchester Marathon. We know they are training hard right now and we’re so grateful for their commitment and dedication. Please do add your support to their fundraising pages if you can and if you fancy going along and supporting them in person on the days, do let us know!
We still have places available in lots of running, walking and other events throughout the year and across the country – we even have our first ever bungee jumper signed up for an event this summer. Or maybe you’d like to get involved with Miles for Mums and Babies this May? Pick an activity (running, cycling, walking, swimming, toddling…) and a number of miles (maybe the distance to your nearest MBU for example) and get sponsored to complete that distance – you could even rope in family, friends or colleagues and make it a team challenge. It’s a fantastic way to raise awareness of PP. Sign up now and we'll send you our Miles for Mums and Babies fundraising pack. Commit to raising more than £50 and we'll provide you with a free running vest and other goodies to help you reach your target.
Fancy taking on a challenge to raise funds for APP? Get in touch and we can provide you with lots of ideas and inspiration.
We have a limited collection of beautiful handmade glass suncatchers, lovingly made for APP by a very kind and talented supporter. They would make a lovely gift for someone special. We're asking for a suggested donation, and all the proceeds will come directly to APP to help us continue to support mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis. Find out more here.
To reserve yours, email fundraising@app-network.org - stock is very limited so be quick!
Research studies currently recruiting
Exploring Black mother’s experiences of postpartum psychosis and the role of racism
APP is supporting Emily Monger, a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Essex, who is exploring the experiences of postpartum psychosis for Black mothers, and how the role of racism and/or discrimination may have impacted women’s recovery for women. She is looking for women in the UK, aged 18+ who identify as being from a Black background and who have experience of PP to take part in her study. To find out more email em21633@essex.ac.uk
New psychological intervention to support women and families who have experienced postpartum psychosis
A research team at the University of East Anglia, led by Dr Jo Hodgekins, would like to talk to partners of women who have experienced PP. The research team is interested in learning more about what ‘recovery’ means to people with lived experience of psychosis and their families and the kinds of issues people would like additional support with, and what this support might look like. For more information, email j.hodgekins@uea.ac.uk.
The role of sleep in the development of postpartum psychosis
Birmingham University is looking for women with experience of postpartum psychosis to take part in a study to find out more about the role of sleep in the development of PP. Participants will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires about their mental health and sleep patterns, as well as participate in a focus group. For more information or to take part in the study, email: I.Morales-Munoz@bham.ac.uk or c.a.f.carr@bham.ac.uk
Inpatient hospital stays for women with postpartum psychosis
We are supporting Helen Allen, a PhD student at Bournemouth University, who is planning research exploring the experiences of inpatient hospital stay during postpartum psychosis. She is recruiting women with lived experience to help shape her research. Thank you to those who have already expressed an interest in taking part. Spaces are still available. For more information, email Helen at: helena@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you are a researcher and would like us to support your research, please get in touch at an early stage in planning: research@app-network.org.
Dates for your diary
APP Dads and co-parents virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 15th March: APP regional café groups webpage
Mother's Day, Sunday 19th March
World Storytelling Day, Monday 20th March
World Poetry Day, Tuesday 21st March
APP North east and Cumbria to face café group meet up, Monday 27th March: APP regional café groups webpage
APP Lancashire and south Cumbria to face café group meet up, Tuesday 28th March: APP regional café groups webpage
World Bipolar Day, Thursday 30th March: https://www.bipolaruk.org/bipolar-awareness-day
APP Black Country face to face café group meet up, Wednesday 5th April: APP regional café groups webpage
APP Birmingham face to face café group meet up, Thursday 20th April: APP regional café groups webpage
Events
Bipolar UK conference, Thursday 30th March
Free conference on World Bipolar Day 2023 featuring world-leading expert talks, lived-experience insights and interviews. Book tickets here.
The Mental Health & Wellbeing Show, Thursday 11th May
More than 60 charities, organisations and companies will be promoting their resources, services and initiatives designed to support positive mental health and wellbeing at Cardiff City Hall. 50% discount with code MHWYear (before 31st January). Book tickets here.
If you would like to advertise your event here, please get in touch.
Sign up to receive updates
Joining the APP Network is a brilliant way to…
- Find out how you can help mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis (PP)
- Receive our newsletters with information about our projects and research into PP
- Be a part of a national network of people who have been affected by PP
- Hear about events, workshops, conferences and opportunities to take part in research studies
- Help us to change things for the future