16 December 2021

Would you like to fundraise for APP in 2022?

APP is fortunate to have an amazing group of supporters who raise money for the charity and awareness of postpartum psychosis (PP) through all sorts of fun activities. However, we always need more of you to ensure we can keep operating our vital information and peer support services.

Are you interested in fundraising for APP in 2022? Here are a few ideas of some of the fundraising activities and events you could take part in. It's easy to support us by organising your own activity - be as imaginative as you can!

  • Organise a fundraising event in your local area - from Art sales to Zumba, every £ you raise helps us to help more people affected by PP.
  • Skydive for APP! Would you like to enjoy the exhilarating and unforgettable feeling of a skydive; flying through the clouds from over 10,000 ft at up to 120 mph? Find out more here.
  • Kiltwalk in Scotland! Take part in a fab walking event with three distances to choose from, suitable for walkers of all ages and experiences, in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. Find out more here.
  • Get sporty! Run, walk, swim or cycle an event and raise sponsorship for APP. Tell us about it here and send us any photos and fundraising links.
  • Are you a  member of a club or society that could hold a fundraising event for APP or let us have a stall at an event where we could collect donations? Let us know.
  • Having a clear out? Sell your unwanted items via Ebay for Charity and donate part or all of the proceeds to APP.
  • Take part in our Miles for Mums and Babies Challenge. Walk, run or cycle 10 miles, 20 miles, 500 miles or even 1000 miles! Each mile reflects the journey mums, babies, partners and families travel to be together, whilst mums receive care in Mother and Baby Units. You can read a news article about the challenges that were completed in 2021 here, which included;

Katherine Paul and her son Harris who walked 3 miles in one day on 6thMay (during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week).

The team from the MBU at Glasgow’s Leverndale Hospital and colleagues from the Community Perinatal Mental Health Team who challenged themselves to walk 10,000 steps a day throughout May.

Anna Grisedale who had PP in 2015 and 2018, challenged herself to walk 119 miles, which represents the journey she made from Leeds to the MBU in Morpeth with her first born.

Emma Charlton who works at Beadnell MBU in Morpeth. Along with her colleague Katie, Emma walked 161 miles over a 12 week period to raise money for APP.

The team from the new Perinatal Mental Health Service in Ayrshire and Arran challenged themselves to walk 1,400 miles throughout October.

Just a few of the amazing fundraising events that you could sign up for during 2022 are listed below:

Kiltwalks – Scotland

A Scottish piper in front of a crowd of Kiltwalkers

Mass participation walking events in Scottish cities - walks range from a 'Wee Wander' (3-6 miles), a 'Big Stroll' (11 miles) or a 'Mighty Stride' (25 miles) - and kids are welcome to take part too!
Kiltwalkers can raise funds for APP and thanks to the generosity of Sir Tom Hunter and The Hunter Foundation, all funds raised will be topped up by 50%. Sign up on the Kiltwalk website and select APP as your chosen charity!

Aberdeen - 29 May
Dundee - 21 August
Edinburgh - 18 September
Scotland’s Virtual Kiltwalk 7 - 9 October

 

Tough Mudder – Obstacle Races

London West – 21 and 22 May 2022
Scotland – 2 and 3 July 2022
Manchester – 23 and 24 July 2022
Yorkshire – 30 and 31 July 2022
South West – 20 and 21 August 2022
North West – 10 and 11 September 2022
London South – 24 and 25 September

Jurassic Coast Challenge

– 14 to 15 May 2022

 

 

Great Manchester Run

– 15 May 2022

 

 

 

 Edinburgh Marathon Festival

– 28 May 2022 run 10k
– run a half marathon
– run a full marathon

 

RideLondon-Essex100

– 29 May 2022

 

 

 

Great Swim 2022

Great North Swim– Windermere 10-12 June 2022
Great North Swimrun – Windermere 11 June 2022
Great East Swim – Alton Water 18 June 2022
Great East Swimrun – Alton Water 18 June 2022

 

3 Peaks Challenge

(National and Yorkshire) – anytime May to October

 

 

Great Run Events

Great Manchester Run – 22 May 2022
Great North Run – 11 September 2022
Great Bristol Run – 25 September 2022
Great Scottish Run – 2nd October 2022
Great South Run – 15 and 16 October 2022

 

Royal Parks Half Marathon  – 9 October 2022 London

We have filled our three charity places in the 2022 Royal Parks Half marathon which will take place on Sunday 9 October in London. The 13.1 mile route takes in the capital’s world-famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London’s eight Royal Parks – Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. If you got a place in the ballot and would like to fundraise for APP, please email fundraising@www.app-network.org

TCS London Marathon

Ballots have now closed for the 2022 London Marathon and we have a couple of amazing runners signed up.  Keep an eye out for next year's event!

We do still have spaces available in the TCS Virtual London Marathon which takes place on the same day as the in person event (2nd October 2022) but you get 24 hours to complete the distance and people all over the world will be taking part at the same time. Contact us if you're interested in joining the APP London Marathon team this year!

 

Do you live in Northern Ireland? Here are some fundraising events you could sign up to;

Mourne Way 10K Night Walk – 21 June 2022 Kilbroney Park
Coast2Coast Multisport Challenge – 14 to 15  May 2022
Causeway Coast Marathon Events – 24 September 2022

The Original Mourne Seven Sevens Walk

– 2 August 2022

 

 

 

If you would like to get involved in fundraising, we'd love to hear from you! Please contact fundraising@www.app-network.org for more information.

Thank you

 

7 December 2021

A day in the life of…a fundraising assistant

Kelly Ashcroft has worked with APP as Office Administrator and Fundraising Assistant since September 2020, and prior to that she worked as a peer support volunteer. Kelly, who had no previous mental health problems, experienced PP in 2006, three months after the birth of her son. She had her second child in 2011 and no recurrence of PP, although she still lives with anxiety and depression during times of increased stress.

Here, Kelly shares a typical ‘day in the life’ of her role with APP.

9.30am

I usually start work around 9.30am after the school drop off. The main part of my role is helping people who want to fundraise for APP, whether this is an individual fundraiser or a group of people fundraising as a team. I provide help with setting up a fundraising page on platforms such as JustGiving, GoFundMe and Facebook, and I post out fundraising materials including APP branded running vests, t-shirts, loose change collectors and balloons.

As a charity, we sometimes purchase places in events such as the Royal Parks Half Marathon, so I also help to register our runners' details on the charity consoles.

11.00am

I often help to promote our fundraiser’s stories and campaigns by sharing them on the APP website, through our social media channels and our newsletter. So sometimes the latter part of the morning is spent writing up an inspirational story which is always lovely to do.

I also encourage our fundraisers to join the APP Events and Fundraising Teamspace, and the Running, Walking and Cycling groups on Facebook so that everyone feels supported and part of a community. I might also be sending out thank you emails, certificates and medals to anyone who has recently completed a fundraiser for us.

12.30pm

I usually eat my lunch in the  garden so I can get some fresh air, and read a magazine to help me switch off. After lunch on a Tuesday we always have a team meeting, where each member of the APP team updates on the work they have been doing and what they have coming up. During this meeting we can ask for guidance and support from our colleagues/managers.

1.30pm

I also like to check in on any current fundraising challenges to see how fundraisers are doing and cheer them on. We recently had a fundraiser (APP’s very own Partner Coordinator Simon O'Mara!) complete an epic 851 virtual mile cycle ride for APP, so I always checked in on his daily progress, updated the news article on the APP website and offered him words of encouragement.

We’ve been so lucky to have lots of amazing fundraisers getting involved recently. Amy Coutts-Britton took part in the Oswestry 10k and we had had four runners in the Royal Parks Half Marathon; Nicola Ball, Jeni Dibley-Rouse, Anneka Harry and Sally Hogg. We also had Steve Bushell run the Yorkshire Marathon, Abi France ran the Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon and we had several runners in the London Marathon; Jason Sales and Andy Rolfe ran in the live event, and Dave Orridge, Sophie Raynor, Esther Land and Karen Lacey ran in the virtual event. The team from the Brockington Mother and Baby Unit even climbed Snowden for APP! We also still have some ‘Miles for Mums and Babies’ fundraising challenges ongoing. I am continually amazed and inspired by our brilliant fundraisers!

2.30pm

As part of my Office Administrator role I might also be answering the APP phone and monitoring the main APP email where I respond to queries or forward them onto relevant colleagues. The administrator role is really varied and can involve things like booking meetings on Zoom, posting out copies of our Insider Guides and leaflets, updating databases, and updating the APP website. Soon, I’ll be writing and sending out Christmas cards to this year's amazing fundraisers which is always a joy to do.

5.00pm

By 5pm I finish work and make a start on the tea for my two children and my husband. Working from home gives me a better work balance by not being stuck in the rush hour commute so life is always a bit more relaxed at teatime these days!

Anyone who is interesting in finding out more about fundraising for APP can contact Kelly by emailing fundraising@www.app-network.org

 

 

26 November 2021

Simon completes 852 virtual miles raising awareness of support needed for partners during postpartum psychosis

We are absolutely thrilled that today, our brilliant partner peer support coordinator, Simon O’ Mara, completed his mammoth 852 mile journey raising awareness of postpartum psychosis, its impact on partners and the need for more Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) in the UK.

Marking the launch of a new support project for the partners of women who develop postpartum psychosis, Simon challenged himself to complete a virtual tour of all UK MBUs to highlight their importance in caring for the whole family unit at this critical time.

Simon, whose wife was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis 15 years ago, said: “As a partner, when all hell’s breaking loose and your wife and child have to go to an MBU, even though it’s the right thing, you feel like you’re losing them. But for some people, due to lack of services in their local areas, they have the added difficulty of travelling a really long way to see their loved ones.

“I initially planned to do the journey out on the road, but due to lockdown restrictions in the early stages of planning, I changed my plans to complete the cycle ride on my smart trainer.

“Doing a smart cycle ride of 852 miles felt like it might actually be a little easier – you don’t have to contend with the weather or road traffic. But it proved really hard at times, especially after a long day’s work when all you really want to do is relax and put your feet up with your family.

“Using the Zwift software and cycling virtually with others from all around the world was a real motivating factor though, as was meeting with some of the MBUs along the journey via Microfost Teams. It’s really kept me going and I’m delighted to have raised £800 for Action on Postpartum Psychosis.”

Simon added: “APP has been campaigning for more MBUs for many years now, and cycling the distances between these services felt like a really good way to show just how these gaps in provision can affect families.”

Dr Jess Heron, Chief Executive, Action on Postpartum Psychosis, said: “Families across the four UK nations are often faced with difficult decisions about receiving specialist MBU care many miles from home or being admitted to a general psychiatric ward. As women can expect hospital treatment to last 8 to 12 weeks, and full recovery to take many, many months, this distance can be an enormous pressure on new families. Families in Northern Ireland, North Wales and the North of Scotland do not yet have access an MBU in their region.

“While we know that experiencing a severe mental illness at this time can be devastating for women, our research shows that partners also describe the experience as the most traumatic of their lives. Many men describe long-term impacts on their own mental health. NHS England have made a commitment as part of the Long Term Plan to inform, signpost and support partners. We hope other regions of the UK will follow suit. MBUs play a vital role in supporting partners and entire family units at this time and have expertise that general psychiatric units do not have.

“We have been working with partners for a long time at APP to support them with information and signposting about postpartum psychosis and getting help, but we are delighted that we now have a dedicated peer support team who can provide email, telephone, forum and video call support for dads and partners. We work closely with all UK MBUs to ensure that all who need it have access to peer support when postpartum psychosis impacts their family.

”We are so grateful for Simon’s commitment to raising awareness of the support needs of partners and we’ve all been cheering him on from the ‘virtual’ sidelines! We are all incredibly proud of what he has achieved.”

APP delivers award-winning peer support services working in partnership with NHS Trusts around the UK, manages a thriving online national peer support forum and facilitates impactful research into postpartum psychosis.

To find out more about Simon’s story, or to add to his fundraising efforts, visit his JustGiving Page 

To support the petition for an MBU in North Wales click here

 

25 November 2021

Ruth’s story: "I was diagnosed with bipolar after my miscarriage".

Many mothers fully recover from postpartum psychosis, but some face a long road to recovery. I am one of those mothers, and my journey has been long and hard. But today, my life as a mother is wonderful and fulfilling.

My story starts in the autumn of 2015 when I miscarried in the ninth week of pregnancy. The grief that followed my loss was engulfing. It consumed me. I found myself crying for over an hour at my work desk, at a Chinese takeaway and relentlessly at home. I was crying pretty much all the time.

Naturally, the loss of my baby left me shattered, but the depths of my despair went well beyond the pain of loss. I knew something was seriously wrong.

After several weeks of severe hopelessness I visited my GP. She stressed that the depression I was feeling was emotional rather than hormonal, and sent me away with a month’s supply of antidepressants. The tablets sadly had little effect, and my depression took a turn for the worse.

In December 2015, approximately 8 weeks after I miscarried, I became suicidal and floridly psychotic.  Convinced I had spread SARS across the UK, I believed I was on death row and facing execution by the electric chair.

Delusions of torture soon followed, along with hallucinations of flies flying around me. People’s faces would appear disfigured. Confused and clinically depressed, I was admitted to hospital for assessment, and would go on to spend three weeks as an informal patient on my local psychiatric ward.

This devastating experience had been my first episode of postpartum psychosis.

Despite making a full and speedy recovery, I went on to have two further psychotic episodes before the birth of my son in 2019.

One experience was so violent I had to be sectioned by the police. I was initially diagnosed with Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder, and was advised by consultants that if I managed stress and sleep better I could prevent further episodes.

Managing stress and sleep was becoming easier, and in 2018 I found myself unexpectedly pregnant with my son. I was ecstatic. At 35, and with two failed pregnancies behind me my hopes of becoming a mother had been rapidly fading.

My son was my miracle baby. My rainbow baby. But my pregnancy was tough. Once again, I began bleeding heavily early on. Convinced I was going to lose another pregnancy I developed severe OCD. I would endlessly wash my hands, and avoided a wide range of foods – believing I would catch listeria. My anxiety peaked quickly and I becamepsychotic. Feeling very paranoid, delusions followed. I briefly believed sewage was leaking from the sink in my bathroom.

Concerned for my wellbeing, my Community Mental Health team linked me in with the newly established Perinatal team. I met with the Perinatal Consultant Psychiatrist early in February 2019 (2 months before my son was due). I was 31 weeks pregnant.

It was a devastating meeting. The consultant diagnosed me with Bipolar Type 1 disorder which she believed was triggered by the miscarriage in 2015. She went on to inform me that, as I had had a previous episode of postpartum psychosis, my chance of becoming acutely unwell after giving birth was 50%. I was urged to start antipsychotic medication immediately.

Because of my anxiety and previous failed pregnancies, I flatly refused, and hesitantly agreed to start medication immediately after my son was born. I went into labour a week later, and gave birth at 35 weeks. My son was tiny. Weighing only 5lb10oz…but he was healthy. And I had avoided a severe psychotic episode thanks to the amazing Perinatal and Maternity teams who had managed my labour like a military operation.

The perinatal team were concerned, however, that I was showing early signs of postpartum psychosis. I therefore spent a week on the labour ward and was admitted to the nearest MBU in the neighbouring county. I stayed at the MBU for three weeks.

Initially I was elated. I felt I had won the battle against postpartum psychosis, and I had a beautiful, healthy son. But later I struggled in the MBU, finding it a daunting experience. I was a new mother away from family and friends…and my hometown. It was not how I expected to spend the first weeks as a mother. But I found solace in the unit. I realised I was not alone, that other mothers had suffered like me, and that we had a huge support network to rely on.

As hard as it is to admit, I did struggle to bond with my son after birth. My traumatic pregnancy, combined with my shock diagnosis, had flawed me. I wondered how I would cope – if I could cope.

My elation at beating a full blown second postpartum episode was dashed last May. Psychosis had finally caught up with me. The anxiety of being a new mother, combined with fears relating to the Covid-19 outbreak tipped me over the edge. Fortunately, this time I was on medication. This meant the episode was less aggressive and slower to progress. It also meant I had a lot more insight – I knew I was unwell. I did not need to stay in hospital and was able to see my son (at my mum’s house) regularly. This was empowering for me as I realised I could now manage bipolar psychosis.

Happily, I am now in remission. The longest period of remission since 2015. I am aware however that medication does not eliminate the risk of relapse, and I accept I am on medication long-term.

Life has changed vastly for me since my miscarriage. I carefully manage my stress levels, and sleeping patterns. I no longer drink alcohol. My once fast-paced, chaotic life has almost ground to a halt. But in losing almost everything, I have found what is most important…health and motherhood.

For years I doubted my ability to move past my episode of postpartum psychosis. It had, at the time turned my life upside down. But I am often reminded of the Perinatal Consultant’s comforting words, “The illness”, she said, “will always be part of you, but doesn’t need to define you”. These words gave me hope, and Action on Postpartum Psychosis have connected me with mothers who have shown me that this is true.

I now see that it is possible to move on from postpartum psychosis. In fact, not only is it possible to move on from, but I now know that I can live a wonderfully fulfilling life. A life full of meaning and purpose. A life as a mother.

 

23 November 2021

Cradled: An interview with writer Nessah Muthy

Part of Channel 4’s ‘On the Edge’ drama anthology, Cradled is a powerful portrayal of postpartum psychosis.

The writer of Cradled, Nessah Muthy, is an established TV and theatre writer, working as part of the Coronation Street script team, as well as juggling multiple solo TV and short film projects. Nessah talked to us about why Cradled was such a personal journey.

Please note both the film and the interview contain references to suicide and intrusive thoughts about babies. Please take care when reading/viewing.

APP: Many in our network have praised Cradled for being such a moving and powerful portrayal of postpartum psychosis. How did it come about?

Nessah: It’s actually about 90% autobiographical. Although my experience was/is of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) rather than postpartum psychosis (PP), many of the incidents leading to my crisis, and the outcomes from it, were similar. With OCD, the voices sometimes, to me, feel psychotic - but they’re not actually psychotic as they aren’t coming from an external place.

As I got more and more poorly with my second child however, it grew increasingly difficult to tell where exactly the thoughts were coming from and, truly scary to admit they might be manifesting inside my own brain.

With my first child, I had awful thoughts thinking I might hurt my baby. It became so bad that I couldn’t bathe her and I didn’t want to change her nappy. I was petrified of being alone with her so I was always taking her to the library, to playgroups, to parties, like Maia does in the film, just to be around other people. It was exhausting.

APP: In our network, many mothers had no prior experience of mental illness. However, we also know that past experiences of psychosis or being diagnosed with bipolar can also trigger PP. Had you experienced mental health problems prior to giving birth?

Ellora Torchia (Maia)

Nessah: Yes. My OCD was something I had lived with since I was a young kid. (Although I had no idea it was OCD or indeed what OCD even was.) Growing up in the 90s and early noughties, with no internet and not as many people talking about mental health, I basically thought I was some kind of monster. There’s a history of mental ill health in my family, but I had no idea that intrusive thoughts were a thing. So I remember being so ashamed and not being able to tell anybody the true extent of the thoughts I was experiencing. I may have tried once or twice but the look of horror on people’s faces made me feel unable to speak out about it.

I spent a lot of my childhood in church and looking back now, praying became one of my compulsions. I would pray for my family to stay safe and believed that if I didn’t do the prayers (and other things like getting to the lights before someone else) something really bad would happen.

As I got older, I became scared of having children because I thought I might hurt them. Of course, I felt there was no way I could tell my husband this, I was deeply ashamed and fearful of what he might think of me.

Overtime I ignored the thoughts as much as I possibly could and managed to bury my fears so deeply that I was able to have a baby. During this pregnancy however I experienced hyperemesis gravidarum  - basically prolonged and severe nausea and ended up losing a stone in weight. Looking back, this probably contributed to my ultimate crisis and certainly increased my anxiety.

When we brought my first new born home I distinctly remember saying that she was too good for me. You love this precious thing to the ends of the earth but you’re also utterly terrified of them.

Following her birth, the thoughts weren’t as intense as I thought they might be, however, they were definitely there. I remember having moments when I was sliding down the door, as Maia does, feeling overwhelmed by it. There was never a major kind of crisis point, I just tried to push through and push through, but, amongst the joy, there was a lot of intense anxiety and worry. With my second child, however, the birth was very traumatic and that really triggered my OCD.

Ellora Torchia (Maia), Damien Molony (Lenny)

APP: Many women in our network experienced traumatic birth prior to the onset of PP as well. What was your experience?

It was the most horrific birth, I essentially had a very high 3rd degree tear and spent two hours in theatre almost immediately after delivery.

A few days later I was back home and trying to settle in with a major significant injury. Then, my baby projectile vomited blood all over the wall, it was like something from a horror movie. It turned out to be residue from the birth canal, but was one of the worst things I’ve ever witnessed.

As my family of three tried to adjust to becoming a family of four, life was tricky. Juggling a two year old, as well as a new born who would vomit her milk after every feed, (due to lactose intolerance) and, then, as she grew older bang her head repeatedly against her wooden cot, things started to reach breaking point. With sleep deprivation thrown into the mix, my world began to spin and the intrusive thoughts increased during these stressful times. I felt like a monster had grown inside my head, that the monster was me, the worst Mum in the world.

APP: How did intrusive thoughts affect you?

Ellora Torchia (Maia)

Nessah: As a writer I was weirdly writing/analysing my own narrative - and it wasn’t a good one! I was also starting to self-harm. I became very suicidal because I was so scared of hurting my kids that I just thought I’d be better off not being here.

My husband was scared of going to work but he had to go to work, because I was on mat leave and we needed to pay the bills.

This is what I tried to show in the film - the fear of being left alone but having no choice as a family to be by each other’s side round the clock.

I also wanted to show ‘the fear’ of becoming unwell and how, in some ways, knowing that you are getting sick is more petrifying than succumbing to the illness itself. When I did finally say, out loud: “I am unwell, I need help” there was actually a sense of relief and release…but then came the challenge of trying to convince my family that I was poorly… At times it felt like everybody wanted me to get better, but nobody wanted to accept that I was ill… I remember trying to explain that will alone, as in, willing me to get better won’t get me better, this is going to be a long journey and you (my family) need to accept this. This again was something I wanted to show in Cradled, often it is the people around the person who is unwell, trying to convince them that they need help, for me, it was the other way around.

One day the façade finally fell, it all got too much and at a health visitor appointment I fully broke down. The health visitor was supportive as was my GP, but in the end I said I just think I need to go to A&E. From here my local mental health crisis team took over, they came out every day, twice a day, and they were amazing. Knowing that someone else was coming was so reassuring. Family members and friends were also hugely supportive, they sat with me, effectively on suicide watch.

I was given citalopram (an antidepressant), which helped, but they took a while to kick in and I could literally feel my brain adjusting to the drug.

A few weeks later I started to have CBT - (which I’d had before) but I was more honest than ever about the content of my thoughts and it really was time to face the fear. I had to do immersive stuff on my own - like going in the bath with the children, or changing a certain number of nappies every day.

I still have intrusive thoughts but in a weird way, the crisis was also the best thing that ever happened to me, because now I don’t live consumed with the weight and monstrosity of those thoughts. I don’t feel as desperately lonely, as desperately fearful. I’ve been able to tell others and I’m also able to tell myself/recognise that’s an intrusive thought, it’s not who I am.

It probably won’t ever fully go away but, as my husband said, we used to live from one panic to another, but the therapy and the tablets just stabilise things and prevent me from reaching crisis point.

APP: What made you decide to focus on PP rather than OCD for Cradled?

 Nessah: There are elements of my experience that were almost psychotic, like the mirror stuff that I showed Maia experiencing in the film. There were mini hallucinations that I started to develop, and it’s difficult to unravel whether they were indeed hallucinations or just really strong intrusive thoughts. As a child, I spent time around adults experiencing psychosis so I had personal experience of it to draw upon as well.

More technically, when you render, or portray, intrusive thoughts for dramatic purposes people will likely think that it is a form of psychosis. So it just made sense to me to portray PP and because my experiences were so close.

Other similarities between mine and Maia’s experiences include vividly imagining my babies drowned in the bath. With writing, you have to find the core image of that, the core emotional beat which is, I am responsible for my baby’s death. For me it’s the most powerful beat in the film, but it’s also the hardest moment to watch because I am right back there in the heart of my intrusive thoughts. I was so lucky to work with Chloe Wicks, the director, and the actor Ellora Torchia, who were/are both absolutely phenomenal, but of all the scenes that’s the most breath-taking and painful for me.

APP: It was so lovely seeing the ending where Maia and her partner, Lenny, were clearly in a supportive environment with their baby and a health professional, playing with toys. It reminded us of a Mother and Baby Unit. How did you come up with this ending?

Nessah: Maia and Lenny were indeed in an MBU at the end of the film. I didn’t personally go to an MBU, but I did a fair bit of research around MBUs. Watching Louis Theroux’s documentary, Mothers on the Edge, made me question that, if it wasn’t for MBU’s, and if I had been admitted to a unit, who would have looked after my children? How would my husband have coped? I really wanted to show the family together and I wanted that scene to be gentle and warm and, ultimately, for there to be hope.

Damien Molony (Lenny)

APP: Finally, why was it so important for you to write Cradled?

Nessah: My personal story is ultimately a survival story and Cradled is too. I wanted to show that there is hope but also to create a strong and authentic portrayal of mental illness. Before I was diagnosed with OCD I didn’t know what it was and felt so ashamed, so raising awareness was so important to me. I remember going to mother and toddler groups and meeting other mums who were like: “oh, I take that drug too” or “I felt that too” just knowing you’re not alone in your experiences is so powerful. I hope Cradled will make people feel less alone and that even if you are experiencing what Maia is experiencing, you can get help, that you can get better.

You can find out more and watch Cradled here

If you have been affected by anything in this article or in the film, need any support, or want to meet others, visit our Peer Support page.

 

 

 

 

 

16 November 2021

Simon's story: "Cycling boosts my mental wellbeing".

Our Partner Peer Support Co-ordinator,  Simon O’Mara, has been incredibly busy raising awareness of postpartum psychosis and raising lots of money for APP by cycling 851 virtual miles.

Here he talks about why cycling is so good for his mental health.

When I get on my mountain bike, riding through narrow tracks at speed, tree branches within an inch of each handlebar, I can’t afford to think of anything else. It’s impossible, in fact. Mountain biking for me, requires technical focus, care and attention, and to let my mind wander elsewhere would be dangerous.

It’s the same with motorcycling, another passion of mine. It’s so good for the soul because when you’re out on the road, you can’t focus on anything else. You need to be acutely aware of the conditions of the road, the weather, other traffic – and of course every move you’re making; it’s critical to keep you safe.

But this need for focus is also why it’s so good for my mental health. The escapism and mindfulness that cycling affords me is invaluable. The fact that it’s good for my physical fitness is merely a by-product for me because, first and foremost, I enjoy it – and that’s why it has such a positive impact on my life and my health – both mentally and physically.

Fifteen years ago, after the birth of our son, my wife was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis (PP) – a severe and debilitating postnatal mental illness. It was a frightening time for the whole family not least because, at the time, we had no real understanding as to what PP was.

It all started in the first couple of weeks after my wife gave birth, I had noticed subtle changes in her mood, but, as a first-time father, I didn’t really know what was ‘usual’ or ‘unusual’ after birth. A few weeks later and these changes took a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse, things became very scary, very quickly.

Over the next few days, she woke in the early hours ‘ghost like’, her mood had plummeted, she was anxious, confused, pacing around the house, having delusions and hallucinations, ultimately it all ended in a 999 call.  I found myself in complete turmoil and throughout our journey with PP, had times where I went through every emotion possible - from being terrified, to feeling isolated, worried about the future and even feeling guilt-ridden for decisions I’d had to take; with little sleep, the pressure I felt was enormous, however, the support we received from family, friends and eventually specialist health professionals treating my wife was vital.

Postpartum psychosis as a father or partner, feels very much like a journey with a number of possible stages, from the initial crisis, potential admission to hospital, returning home and recovery - all of which bring different feelings and concerns to the fore. Just holding it together, having to keep strong for your wife or family members can sometimes see you not considering or letting on how worried you are, which in turn can lead to fathers suffering with their own mental ill-health.

It goes without saying that, whilst in the midst of the illness, mountain biking wasn’t really an option. I did give it a go while my wife was in hospital, but I couldn’t concentrate and was too acutely aware of everything that was going on at that time, so I wasn’t able to give cycling all my attention and I wasn’t able to get the enjoyment and mental health benefits from it.

When my wife came home, as her partner, I still had real worries about whether she might relapse and how we would cope if she did. I wondered if things might be drastically different for us and how life might be in the future. So it wasn’t until she was firmly into her recovery journey that I was able to stop and think about how I was coping, how I was feeling. It was during this period of my wife’s recovery that mountain biking became a significant part of my own recovery from the stress and trauma that PP had on our family.

But it isn’t even just the time that I’m on my bike when I notice a change in how I’m feeling. Even when I’m putting the bike back on the car, ready to head home, I feel refreshed, ready to deal with anything that life throws at me. It not only gives me those moments of mindfulness, it re-sets everything and helps build longer-term resilience.

This is why I was so keen to combine my learnings from our family’s experience with my love of cycling to raise awareness and funds, and to campaign for specialist services for postpartum psychosis. Since October, I’ve been cycling a virtual route of 851 miles to demonstrate the gaps in service provision around the UK and the miles many families have to travel to access this care.

 

I’m cycling on behalf of APP. If you’d like to sponsor me, visit my JustGiving page for more information.

9 November 2021

APP ambassador Laura Dockrill edits special edition of Mum Poet Club zine

The Mum Poet Club, which publishes a regular zine, is a supportive writing group for parents who write poetry.

"And How Is Mum" is Issue 5 of the Mum Poet Club zine and features beautiful illustrated poems on the theme of identity in motherhood. It was published on 19 November 2021.

These poems will make you cry, bring you comfort and bring you hope.

Each poem has been personally selected by APP Ambassador, award-winning writer and author of “What Have I Done”, Laura Dockrill.

On editing the collection Laura said:

“Guest editing this has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Why? Because not only is the standard exceptional; the writing is extraordinary, the courage is breath-taking – there is humour, there is real-talk and there is love by the bucketload- but truly because it was so hard to read poetry with so many tears in my eyes. I very quickly found myself sobbing and snotting over my marmite on toast, reading lines down the phone to my sister.

“These poems are a safe space. Reading this is a safe space that could open a conversation, a conversation that could even go on to save someone’s life.”

This zine is made with love by the Mum Poem Club and features a beautiful gold foiled cover by Ellamae Statham.

Watch this short film from Laura Dockrill about "And How Is Mum".

 

The Mum Poet Club kindly donated 22 copies of the zine to send onto each of the UKs 22 Mother and Baby Units.

APPs Chief Executive Dr Jess Heron, and Jessie Hunt APPs Marketing and Digital Communications Coordinator attended the official Launch Party for "And How Is Mum?" which was held online on Tuesday 14th December. Jessie said “I loved attending the poetry night. It was so moving and a really special experience. Thank you so much for inviting us to be part of it.”

The Mum Poet Club has donated all profits made from this issue to APP and has raised more than £1,000. We would like to say a huge thank you to The Mum Poet Club for supporting APP and to all who have bought copies of the zine.

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

3 November 2021

Abi runs the Liverpool Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon for APP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abi France ran the Liverpool Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday 24th October 2021 to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work. Abi’s sister had postpartum psychosis two and a half years ago and has recently had her second baby.

Abi says: “APP has helped my family and provided us with much needed information and I hope that my fundraiser will help APP to continue supporting other families”.

Abi’s fundraiser has raised more than £1,202. We would like to say a huge thank you to Abi for supporting APP and to all who have donated.

You can visit and donate to her fundraising page here.

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

31 October 2021

APP October 2021 Newsletter

World Mental Health Day

It’s World Mental Health Day on 10th October and this year’s theme is ‘mental health in an unequal world.’

Each year about 140,000 women around the world will experience postpartum psychosis (PP). Their experience of care varies hugely, within the UK inequality remains. In Northern Ireland, around 35 women will experience PP each year, with no access to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). In Wales, 50 women will develop PP: women in the north have to travel to South Wales or over the border into England for care. Half of women in Scotland who need a MBU bed still do not receive one. General psychiatric wards are inappropriate for newly-delivered women, lacking appropriate facilities, access to specialist professionals and knowledge, and forcing separation from babies.

You can help by sharing our social media calls on World Mental Health Day for access to MBUs for women who experience PP wherever they live in the world. If you live in an area without access to an MBU please get in touch. We'd love to hear your story.

APP volunteer, Oorlagh Quinn, has set up a petition calling for a Mother and Baby Unit in Northern Ireland. More than 3,000 people have signed the petition so far but we need more signatures. To find out more about Oorlagh’s campaign for an MBU in Northern Ireland and to sign the petition, click here.

If you have experienced PP and live in Northern Ireland we’d love you to become a volunteer with us as we try to build our peer support, campaigning and storytelling networks in the region.

APP 2021 UK survey

The APP 2021 PP Care survey will be dropping through your door, ahead of World Mental Health Day on the 10th October. The survey will look at inequalities in access to Mother and Baby Units across the UK and the impact of this on recovery outcomes for women and families. We’ll be asking how many women were treated in MBUs, how far you had to travel, and we’ll be looking at the benefits of MBU care versus other forms of care. We’ll also be looking at the changes that have happened since our first survey of care for PP ten years ago.

Please look out for the survey. It will take around 30 minutes, but it will help with our campaigning over the next 10 years. Our first survey was completed by 218 women who had experienced PP – we’d love to reach 500 this time. Make sure we have your postal address if you’d like to help.

Partner peer support cycle challenge

APP’s Partner Peer Support Coordinator, Simon, is embarking on a mammoth 850-mile virtual cycling challenge to help raise awareness of the impact of postpartum psychosis (PP) on the partners of women who develop the illness.

Simon’s bike ride will follow a virtual path between the UK’s Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) – specialist psychiatric facilities for mothers experiencing severe postnatal mental illness. He'll be organising virtual meetings with MBU staff when he arrives at each unit to find out more about how MBUs support partners, as well as chatting to a number of dads and partners who have been through PP along the way.

Simon's wife received treatment in an MBU after developing PP 15 years ago. Simon says: “When my wife was diagnosed it was a frightening time – not least because we had no prior knowledge of postpartum psychosis. But in many ways, I feel that we were incredibly lucky in that we were able to access care in an MBU less than a 40-minute drive away – in my work with APP, I realise that many other families aren’t so lucky.”

APP’s Partner Peer Support project was set up in June 2020 and provides support for the partners of women affected by PP via a one-to-one email, phone and video call support; and online group meet ups.

Simon and his team of volunteers are available to talk or write to any partners of women who have had PP. It can be a big relief to talk to someone else who has lived through their partner experiencing PP, and Simon and the volunteers can share what helped them, or just be a friendly listening ear.

If you are a partner of someone with PP who'd appreciate talking to Simon or one of our other volunteers please don't hesitate to contact him.

To find out more about Simon’s story, and to sponsor his cycle ride, you can visit his JustGiving page here.

If you are a partner and use Zwift, Simon would love some support and virtual chats as he completes his journey. You'll also be able to follow him on Strava. Simon will begin his challenge this weekend.

Health Professional training

Book now for our online postpartum psychosis training. The full day training will be led by: Professor Ian Jones, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and leading academic researcher in postpartum psychosis; Dr Sally Wilson, Training and Research Coordinator at APP and Expert by Experience; and Dr Jessica Heron, APP Chief Executive and Senior Research Fellow in Perinatal Psychiatry at Birmingham University.

The training is suitable for any professionals working with pregnant and postnatal women and families and draws upon cutting-edge research in postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder and the real experiences of women and families. The course will develop knowledge and confidence in identifying and managing risk, developing pregnancy and postnatal management plans, identifying early symptoms, and providing high quality support to women and families from preconception to recovery.

Feedback from previous courses has been excellent:

“I think this training is essential for midwives, health visitors and social workers.”

"I thought this training was absolutely excellent. It was invaluable to hear lived experience and I felt confident in the absolute expertise of everyone included.”

"Today helped me understand the evidence base to inform my clinical work.”

"I enjoyed the case study discussions. The research was fascinating and enlightening. The lived experiences were so powerful.”

The next workshops will be held on Thursday 14th October and Monday 29th November 2021. You can book your place here.

If you have any queries or for further information, email Sally, APP's Training and Research Coordinator on training@app-network.org

Café groups update

The Lancashire and Cumbria Project face to face café groups have restarted after the lifting of Covid restrictions. Groups ran in Blackpool and the Preston/Chorley area in September. It was a bit breezy in Blackpool but lovely to see some mums (pictured above) we hadn't seen in person for a very long time! If you are interested in attending any of the Lancashire and Cumbria regional café groups please contact Jocelyn at lancsandcumbria@app-network.org.

September also saw the first café group meet up for APP’s Morpeth project, where Sharon – our Peer Support Facilitator – is working in collaboration with Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust providing peer support to inpatients at Beadnell MBU. The café group is open to anyone who has experienced PP in the region. For more information contact morpeth@app-network.org.

Our Birmingham NHS partnership project is expanding into the Black Country later in the year. You can get in touch with the team at birmingham@app-network.org to find out more; whether you experienced PP recently or years ago, we would love you to get involved in the project.

We’re delighted that some of our café groups are now running in person again. Alongside face to face groups, we continue to offer: virtual café groups in other areas of the UK; activity groups; one to one video call meet ups with a volunteer; one to one email support; and our online community where you can ask questions and meet others wherever you live. Whatever stage of "life after PP" you are at, APP's peer support is here for you and your family. You can get in touch to find out more.

Full details and dates of all our meet-ups can be found later in this newsletter and on our Facebook events page.

Grandparents' peer support

APP often supports grandparents at the time their daughter or son is going through PP. We have recently trained a small number of grandparents as peer volunteers. We are delighted to be running our first group video call for any grandparents who are supporting, or have supported, their children through postpartum psychosis.

If you would like to talk about your experience of supporting a loved one or are happy to share your experiences with others, you are very welcome to join us for this informal virtual get together with APP staff and other grandparents who have ‘been there’.

The first meeting is being planned for late October/early November. For more information contact Ellie: ellie@app-network.org.

Spring bulb planting

A huge thank you to APP volunteer Gemma Vinter (pictured above, right) who teamed up with staff at Stafford’s Mother and Baby Unit to plant 240 spring bulbs in the ward’s garden.

Gemma has been sourcing donations of bulbs to give to the UK’s 22 MBUs to help brighten up their grounds. She visited the Brockington Unit at St George’s Hospital in Stafford in September to begin planting there, and was joined by Laura Fox (pictured above, left) from the MBU as well as other members of the team.

Gemma says she hopes that spending time outside with lots of lovely plants and flowers will encourage a little bit of “me time” to help patients’ recovery, alongside the invaluable help and treatment that MBUs provide.

Laura and some of her colleagues from Brockington MBU will be climbing Snowdon this weekend to raise money for APP. You can find out more and support their challenge here.

In the media

APP Ambassador Laura Dockrill was on Radio 4’s Four Thought on 15th September describing her experience of PP. In her essay ‘And They Said We’d Be Glowing’ she calls for a wider conversation about risks to perinatal mental health. You can listen here.

Laura talked to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on Wednesday 22nd September talking about how her experience of PP shaped her new book, ‘The Dream House’. Listen to the interview here. She’s also written a stigma-busting article for October’s issue of @happifulhq – do look out for a copy!

Author Catherine Cho and APP volunteer Lobeh Osagie-Asiah took part in the BBC World Service programme The Conversation on Monday 9th August discussing how PP affected them and their families. You can listen to the programme here. If you are from a community that is underrepresented in the media please get in touch and share your story to help us reach more families affected by postpartum psychosis. Email app@app-network.org.

Amazon Smile and Give as you Live

If you shop online you can now help to raise money for APP by signing up to Amazon Smile and Give As You Live.

Amazon Smile is operated by Amazon and features the same products. When you shop on Amazon Smile, 0.5% of the cost of products are donated to your chosen charity. Sign up to Amazon Smile here. If you’ve already got an Amazon account, log in as normal and search for Action on Postpartum Psychosis on the right-hand side of the screen. Click to accept us as your chosen charity and you’re ready to start shopping!

You can also shop online with Give as you Live. To help raise money for APP, you can sign up for a free account here.

Thank you!

Our fantastic fundraisers

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our fundraisers. We would like to thank everyone who has hosted an event in aid of APP, as well as those who have donated; your support is greatly appreciated. We have had a fantastic response too for our #MilesForMumsAndBabies challenge. Thank you.

Virgin Money London Marathon. This year’s event is made up of a traditional 26 mile run on the streets of London as well as a virtual marathon, giving runners the chance to cover the distance on a course of their choice. APP has several runners taking part in this year’s events: Jason Sales (pictured bottom row, far left) and Andy Rolfe are in the live event, whilst Sophie Raynor (pictured bottom row, right), Dave Orridge, Esther Land, and Karen Lacey (pictured bottom row, middle) have signed up for the virtual run. We’re delighted that they have chosen to support APP: please visit their fundraising pages to find out more.

Royal Parks Half Marathon. We have four amazing runners taking part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday 10th October Sally Hogg, Nicola Ball, Jeni Dibley-Rouse and Anneka Harry. The event takes in the capital’s world-famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London’s eight Royal Parks – Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. Please support our 'fab four' and donate what you can via their online pages. With huge thanks to Sally, Nicola, Jeni and Anneka for all their hard work - we wish them all the best with their training and hope they have lots of autumn sunshine on 10th October.

Amy Coutts-Britton is taking part in the Oswestry 10k on Sunday 17th October 2021. Amy is a peer support volunteer with APP and has attended events, meeting other mums like her who have experienced PP. You can visit and donate to her fundraising page here.

Steve Bushell is running the Yorkshire Marathon on Sunday 17th October for APP. Steve’s wife Jo experienced PP after the birth of their first child and spent time in an MBU where she received great care as part of her recovery. You can visit and donate to Steve’s fundraising page here.

Alice Stroud, an APP volunteer, is taking part in five triathlons over the next twelve months working towards the Olympic triathlon distance (a 1,500-metre swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run). Alice experienced psychosis twice during pregnancy in 2019 and into 2020 and says that APP offered peer and group support along with information to her and her family, helping her stay focused and feel supported. Her fundraiser has already raised more than £1,400. You can visit and donate to Alice’s fundraising page here.

London Landmarks Half Marathon. A huge thank you to our three amazing runners who took part in this year’s event on Sunday 1st August. Andy Rolfe, Kirsty Curtis, and Emma raised more than £2,600 for APP.

Andy’s partner Emily experienced PP in 2017 and was admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). Andy says thanks to the wonderful NHS staff and APP support she has made a full recovery, and their family is healthy and happy. Since recovering, Emily has started volunteering for APP, sharing their experiences with new MBU staff and other medical professions. Andy's fundraising page is here.

Kirsty experienced PP after the birth of her daughter and was treated in Bournemouth MBU. During her recovery she found APP, allowing her to meet others who have been through the illness, which helped her to feel less isolated and alone. She says if it wasn’t for APP and the women she met through them, her recovery journey could have been a lot longer and harder. You can see Kirsty’s JustGiving page here.

Emma experienced PP after the birth of her second son and was treated in an MBU. She says that the MBU, the Community NHS Teams and the Adult Mental Health Services have been amazing during her recovery. She ran the half marathon in the hope that donations help other mums and their families. You can still visit and donate to Emma’s JustGiving page here.

Kimberley Mace and her best friend took part in a skydive on Saturday 11th September 2021 for APP. Kimberley experienced PP in November 2015 after the birth of her son, and was initially treated on a general psychiatric ward at Ipswich hospital before being admitted to her local hospital at Wedgewood. Kimberley says that APP helped her to understand what exactly she was diagnosed with, and she used the forum to help answer her questions when she had her daughter. Her challenge has raised more than £590. You can still visit and donate to her fundraising page here.

Amy Shaw ran the Great North Run on Sunday 12th September to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work. Amy’s sister-in-law Katherine experienced PP in 2020 and was hospitalised in hospital for four months during lockdown. Amy’s fundraiser has raised more than £1,700. You can still visit and donate to her fundraising page here.

Michelle Bell, one of APP’s volunteers, and her friend Sinead paddle boarded 10 miles along the River Thames near Oxford in September to support APP’s work. Michelle experienced PP ten years ago and was initially admitted to an adult mental health ward before being transferred to an MBU where her daughter stayed with her. Michelle and Sinead’s fundraiser has raised more than £450. You can visit and donate to their fundraising page here.

Emily Saunders, a peer support volunteer with APP, is aiming to walk and cycle 500 miles between 1st July and 14th November 2021. These dates are important to her as they are the dates she went into and then finally came out of the Nottingham MBU in 2017 (having had two stays) when she had PP, severe PND and anxiety after the birth of her daughter. Emily chose the distance as it represents the almost 500 miles from the most northerly to the most southerly MBU. Find out more about her challenge and support her here.

The team from the new Perinatal Mental Health Service in Ayrshire and Arran (pictured above, top row) are challenging themselves to walk 1,400 miles throughout October. They’ll be working with mums who are affected by severe mental illness in the perinatal period and want to take part in #MilesForMumsAndBabies to raise awareness of PP, support APP, and come together as a team. They chose the distance as it represents the 1,400 mums who experience PP in the UK each year. Find out more and support their challenge here.

Debbie Sells is the Ward Manager on the MBU at Nottingham and is aiming to cover 1,000 miles during 2021 by a combination of walking and running. She has worked on the ward for 24 years, and the 1,000 miles represents the long distance many families travel to receive specialist inpatient care. Debbie says that APP provides vital support for women and families who experience maternal mental illness. You can donate to Debbie’s challenge here.

We would also like to say a huge thank you to the #MilesForMumsAndBabies fundraisers who have completed their challenges. They include:

Anna Grisedale, who had PP in 2015 and 2018. She challenged herself to walk 119 miles, which represents the journey she made from Leeds to the MBU in Morpeth with her first born. Anna was initially admitted to Morpeth as no bed was available in Leeds MBU. After a few weeks, she was transferred back to Leeds, which enabled Anna’s family to visit her regularly. She says this was a lifeline to her and her family. During her illness she experienced the therapeutic benefits of walking. Watch this Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust film to find out more. Anna has raised more than £1,500 for her challenge via JustGiving. You can donate to her JustGiving page here.

Danielle Thomas, APP’s Assistant South Wales Coordinator, and her husky dog Lyra, walked 106 miles during June and July, which represents the distance from their house to the Melbury Lodge MBU in Winchester. Danielle experienced PP after the birth of her daughter in 2017, at which time there was no MBU in Wales. This meant she was a 2.5-hour journey away from family and friends during her stay at Winchester MBU. This April the new Uned Gobaith (Unit of Hope) MBU opened in Wales and Danielle was able to collaborate with its planners and artists through APP. Danielle and Lyra have raised £660 for APP. You can still donate to their JustGiving page here.

Naomi Gilbert, APP’s Assistant Peer Support Coordinator (pictured above, far right), took part in her first ever triathlon on 26th September. She chose a triathlon to highlight that during her recovery from PP she had to go to three separate psychiatric hospitals without her daughters, as there was no local Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at the time. Naomi completed three challenges - swimming, cycling and running - in 1 hour 53 minutes and her younger daughter Ella helped her to run to the finish line. Naomi has raised more than £1,000 for APP via her Facebook fundraising page which you can still donate to here.

Emma Charlton who works at Beadnell MBU in Morpeth. Along with her colleague Katie, Emma walked 161 miles over a 12-week period to raise money for APP. Emma chose the distance to represent the 161 women admitted to the ward since she started working in Perinatal Services. Emma and Katie were accompanied by other colleagues on some of their longer walks and have raised £1150 for APP. You can donate to Emma’s challenge here.

You can read more about the #MilesForMumsAndBabies - and our other fundraisers - here. You can still sign up to our Miles for Mums and Babies Fundraiser and set yourself, or your team a challenge to complete.

Facebook Fundraisers: Each month, we welcome new Facebook fundraisers, many of whom have supported APP and raised awareness of postpartum psychosis by holding a birthday fundraiser. It has been lovely to celebrate your special day with you.

If you have any fundraising ideas or would like to get involved, contact fundraising@app-network for more information. We would love to support you.

Research update

APP supports all types of research into PP. If you are a researcher and would like us to support your research, please get in touch at an early stage in planning. If you have experience of PP and would like to help advise on research, or have a research background, please get in touch with Sally.

New Drug Discovery Study funded

The Wellcome Trust has funded a Postpartum Psychosis Drug Discovery study. This is fantastic news for women and families - and although studies like these take a long time to yield results – this study is likely to help us understand the biology of the illness and develop new targeted treatments for PP. A study launch was held on 27th September at Cardiff University where researchers on the project, the Wellcome Trust and APP met to present progress so far. This is an exciting area of work led by Professor John Atack, Director of the Medicines Discovery Institute at Cardiff University, which APP will be supporting over the next two years.

Clinical and Genetic studies

We work with researchers at Cardiff University to identify genes and other factors which are involved in increasing risk of PP or bipolar disorder - with the aim of understanding the causes of PP and developing better treatments. If you would like to help, email moodresearch@worc.ac.uk.

Dates for your diary

APP Hampshire and Sussex face to face café group meet up, Saturday 2nd October: APP Facebook events page.

National Grandparents Day, Sunday 3rd October. APP will be holding our first ever grandparents video call for grandparents to share experiences of supporting their daughter or son through an episode of PP. See full article above.

APP South Wales virtual café group meet up, Thursday 7th October: APP Facebook events page.

APP Birmingham/Solihull face to face café group meet up, Friday 8th October: APP Facebook events page.

Baby Loss Awareness Week, Saturday 9th – Friday 15th October. www.babyloss-awareness.org

World Mental Health Day, Sunday 10th October. www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/world-mental-health-day

APP Book Club, Monday 11th October. The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood by Susan Elliot Wright: APP Facebook events page.

APP Birmingham/Solihull virtual café group meet up, Thursday 14th October: APP Facebook events page.

APP London face to face café group meet up, Saturday 16th October: APP Facebook events page.

World Menopause Day, Monday 18th October. www.imsociety.org/education/world-menopause-day/

APP North East and Cumbria face to face café group meet up, Monday 18th October: APP Facebook events page.

APP Lancashire and South Cumbria virtual café group meet up, Thursday 21st October: APP Facebook events page.

Global Peer Support Celebration Day, Thursday 21st October. www.peersupportworks.org/about/global-peer-supporters-celebration-day

APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up, Friday 22nd October: APP Facebook events page

APP South Wales virtual café group meet up, Thursday 11th November: APP Facebook events page.

APP Birmingham/Solihull virtual café group meet up, Thursday 11th November: APP Facebook events page.

APP Yorkshire face to face café group meet up, Saturday 13th November: APP Facebook events page.

Upcoming conferences and events

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference, Thursday 7th and Friday 8th October 2021.

Online conference featuring talks from a range of mental health professionals. Day one will focus on adult mental health; the focus of day two is youth mental health. Book tickets here.

APP workforce training for health professionals, Thursday 14th October 2021.

One-day online course on Managing Severe Mental Illness through pregnancy and working with women and families with postpartum psychosis. Book here.

Rebuilding the Future: Putting Babies and Children first conference, Thursday 14th October 2021.

Virtual conference featuring leading early years experts and academics presenting their latest research and understanding of how to tackle the effects of the pandemic and the next steps for babies and young children, families and communities. Book tickets here.

Perinatal Mental Health Services: Improving access and support, Thursday 21st October 2021.

Virtual conference focusing on improving perinatal mental health services as well as access and support during and beyond Covid-19. Book tickets here. Members of the APP network can book tickets at the reduced rate of £195+VAT with code: hcuk195app.

Westminster Health Forum policy conference, Thursday, 4th November 2021

Online half-day event focussing on: Women’s health - tackling the gender health gap, recovering from COVID-19, promoting women’s only health concerns. Book tickets here.

Maternity and Midwifery Festival: Scotland, Tuesday 23rd November.

In person event. Free for practising healthcare professionals and student midwives.

APP workforce training for health professionals, Monday 29th November 2021.

One-day online course on Managing Severe Mental Illness through pregnancy and working with women and families with postpartum psychosis. Book here.

If you would like to advertise your event here, please get in touch: app@app-network.org.

 

APP November 2021 Newsletter

Giving Tuesday

Today is Giving Tuesday, an annual event which asks people to do something to support a good cause close to their heart.

As Christmas approaches, APP will be sharing stories from our network, helping to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis (PP) and of how families coped with severe mental illness at this time of year. We want to help give hope to anyone going through a difficult time.

Please follow us on our social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share our storytellers’ experiences as well as your own messages of hope. You’ll also be able to read stories on our website.

If you can, please also support APP as you do your Christmas shopping. You can help to raise hundreds of pounds in donations for us as you shop online with Amazon Smile and Give As You Live. Both are free to set up and use and the money raised will support our work.

Thank you.

APP 2021 UK survey

If you haven’t done so already, there’s still time to share your experience of care for PP through APP’s 2021 survey. We want to find out about the changes that have happened since our first survey of care for PP ten years ago.

We’re aiming to find out more about inequalities in access to Mother and Baby Units across the UK and the impact of this on recovery outcomes for women and families. The survey asks how many women were treated in MBUs and how far you had to travel. It also looks at the benefits of MBU care versus other forms of care.

The survey takes around 30 minutes to fill in and will be so important in helping with our campaigning over the next 10 years. Follow this link to complete it.

If you would like help with any issues raised by this questionnaire, please get in touch with us via email or visit our community forum. Our Lived Experience Coordinators can talk to you about the support and information available from APP.

Partner peer support cycle challenge

We like to say a huge thank you and well done to APP’s Partner Peer Support Coordinator, Simon, who has just finished his mammoth 852-mile virtual cycling challenge to help raise awareness of the impact of postpartum psychosis (PP) on the partners of women who develop the illness.

Simon’s bike ride took him 41 days as he followed a virtual path between the UK’s Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) – specialist psychiatric facilities for mothers experiencing severe postnatal mental illness. En route, he organised virtual meetings with MBU staff (pictured above) to find out more about how they support partners, and chatted to a number of dads and partners who have been through PP. He also found the time and energy for an interview about his challenge on BBC Radio Surrey and an Instagram live with Keiran at Dad Matters.

Simon has raised more than £800 to support APP’s work through his JustGiving page

If you are a partner of someone with PP who'd appreciate talking to Simon or one of our other volunteers please don't hesitate to contact him.

New partners café group

APP’s Partner Peer Support project provides support for the partners of women affected by PP via a Facebook page; one-to-one email, phone and video call support; and online group meet ups.

Coordinator Simon has been joined by our new partner peer support worker, Chris Guttridge (pictured right), who experienced PP from the partner's perspective when his girlfriend was admitted to Winchester Mother and Baby Unit in 2013.

Chris says: "I can distinctly remember reading an APP leaflet about postpartum psychosis to try to understand what was happening. It took several years for me to recover from the effect these events had on me and my family and I've had a keen interest in mental health ever since”.

Simon and Chris have introduced a new partners virtual café group which will be held on the third Wednesday of every month from January 2022. If you would like to talk about your experience of supporting a partner through PP or talk to others who have ‘been there’ and can share what helped them you are very welcome to join the group using this Zoom link.

New Black Country peer support project

We’re delighted to welcome another new member of the APP team: Jo Derry (pictured above right with APP Coordinator Hannah) has joined us a Peer Support Facilitator on our collaborative project with Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Jo is working with the two perinatal community mental health teams within the Trust - Walsall & Wolverhampton and Dudley & Sandwell - providing peer support to women affected by PP and their families.

Jo suffered with perinatal mental illness while pregnant with her daughter in 2006 and went on to experience postpartum psychosis after her birth. There was not a great deal of awareness, information or understanding available at that time regarding PP and Jo says she struggled enormously with the stigma she and others attached to it. She had her son in 2010 and was thankfully well after his birth.

With Covid-19 and lockdowns affecting so many people with mental ill health, Jo decided that she wanted a change in career and to focus on helping people who are struggling with mental ill health. She says: "I want to be able to help people who are suffering as I did. I just wish the help and awareness of today was available in my time of need and feel very privileged to now be in the position where I can help other women and families regarding this illness".

If you would like to know more about the Black Country project, please email: blackcountry@app-network.org.

Mother and Baby Unit for North Wales - please add your support to this petition

Wherever you live, please support this petition to get a Mother and Baby Unit for families in North Wales.

Almost 5,000 signatures have been added so far but 10,000 are needed to make sure it will be considered for a debate in the Senedd. The deadline for adding your signature is 3rd December.

APP, NSPCC Cymru, MMHA and the Royal College of Psychiatrists are supporting the petition and the campaign to open an MBU in North Wales. At the moment women who develop severe postnatal illness are separated from their baby to get treat or have to travel to England to get help. You can sign the petition here.

Ribblemere MBU award

Congratulations to Ribblemere Mother and Baby Unit in Chorley, voted Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s clinical team of the year.

The unit was recognised in the Trusts’s Time to Shine staff awards. The team’s work has made a huge difference to the mothers and babies since it opened three years ago.

Karen Hilton, ward manager, said: “Our grateful thanks to all our…wider Ribblemere team family, (including) our fabulous colleagues, Jocelyn, Hannah and Annette from APP.”

Postpartum psychosis drug discovery study

In September, APP's Training and Research Coordinator, Sally, visited the Medicines Discovery Institute (MDI) at Cardiff University to participate in the launch of their new project looking to develop a novel treatment for postpartum psychosis.

This is a two-year, £500,000 early-stage drug discovery project that is funded by the Wellcome Trust and is based upon the hypothesis that postpartum psychosis might be caused by a drop in circulating hormones that occurs after birth. Hormones are known to affect brain function and mood and so the MDI team hopes to identify and develop a synthetic replacement that will therefore prevent the profound mood changes that occur in postpartum psychosis.

The project leader is Professor John Atack (pictured above) who says: “We are thrilled that the Wellcome Trust recognises the medical need of postpartum psychosis and has agreed to fund us in this otherwise neglected area of research. We are especially grateful that Sally and APP can provide a lived experience perspective, which the research team found incredibly moving and motivating on the day. Personally, I had little awareness of the severity of maternal mental health issues until I spoke with my colleague at Cardiff University, Professor Ian Jones, which then inspired me to try to make a difference. Sally’s contribution to our project launch was by far the highlight of the day. So, when the going gets tough, as it undoubtedly will, the lived experience will ensure we remain focussed on trying to deliver a novel treatment for this condition.”

Mum Poet Club zine

The Mum Poet Club’s latest zine has been published this month and is a special edition guest edited by APP ambassador Laura Dockrill.

"And How Is Mum" features beautiful, illustrated poems on the theme of identity in motherhood. Each poem has been personally selected by our ambassador, award-winning writer and author of “What Have I Done”, Laura Dockrill. Laura says:

Guest editing this has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Why? Because not only is the standard exceptional; the writing is extraordinary, the courage is breath-taking – there is humour, there is real-talk and there is love by the bucketload- but truly because it was so hard to read poetry with so many tears in my eyes. I very quickly found myself sobbing and snotting over my marmite on toast, reading lines down the phone to my sister. These poems are a safe space. Reading this is a safe space that could open a conversation, a conversation that could even go on to save someone’s life.

The zine has been made in collaboration with APP and all profits made from this issue will be donated to support our work. It features a beautiful gold foiled cover by Ellamae Statham (pictured above).

You can find out more and order your copy here.

In the media

As part of its ‘On the Edge’ anthology, Channel 4 screened the postpartum psychosis drama ‘Cradled’ (pictured above) earlier this month. Many members of the APP network have praised the programme for being a moving and powerful portrayal of PP. APP has interviewed Cradled’s writer Nessah Muthy. You can read the full article on our website.

Please note both the programme and our interview contain references to suicide and intrusive thoughts about babies. Please take care when reading/viewing.

Kat Grant shared her story and experience of MBU care in an article for Health Affairs.APP volunteer Katherine Shaw shared her PP story in the Daily Mail, The Sun and The Mirror in October.

APP Assistant National Coordinator Naomi Gilbert supported World Menopause Day in October with a piece in The Flock.

Please share these pieces on social media and help us to amplify our messages.

Garden of Hope for Rosewood MBU

BBC's The One Show showed the story of how a 'Garden of Hope', created for this year's Chelsea Flower Show, has been given a permanent home at Rosewood Mother and Baby Unit in Kent (pictured above).

The film, broadcast on the programme on 22nd November, featured MBU staff and a former service user who talked about the difference the garden will make to the service and to the mums and babies who are on their road to recovery.

You can watch the programme here.

Our fantastic fundraisers

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our fundraisers. We would like to thank everyone who has hosted an event in aid of APP, as well as those who have donated; your support is greatly appreciated. We have had a fantastic response too for our #MilesForMumsAndBabies challenge. Thank you.

Alice Stroud, an APP volunteer (pictured above, left) is taking part in five triathlons over the next twelve months working towards the Olympic triathlon distance (a 1,500-metre swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run). Alice experienced psychosis twice during pregnancy in 2019 and into 2020 and was helped by APP’s peer support. She has already raised more than £1,400. You can visit and donate to Alice’s fundraising page here.

Rachel Lucas, her family and friends have formed a team of 11 to walk 1,400 miles for APP. Rachel, an APP volunteer, experienced PP two years ago and spent six weeks in Leeds MBU. She held a fundraiser with her family and friends called ‘Four million steps for APP’ during November last year and has also developed the ‘Blooming Mum to Be’ and ‘Brand New Mum’ boxes which she is selling via her website www.pourlamaman.co.uk, donating some of the profits to both APP and PANDAS Foundation. You can support her challenge here.

Virgin Money London Marathon. APP had six runners who took part in this year’s October events: Jason Sales and Andy Rolfe (pictured above, right) ran in the live event, whilst Sophie Raynor, Dave Orridge, Karen Lacey signed up for the virtual run. Together, they have raised more than £4,900 for APP. You can still visit and donate to their fundraising pages.

Royal Parks Half Marathon. We had four amazing runners who took part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 10th October Sally Hogg, Nicola Ball, Jeni Dibley-Rouse and Anneka Harry. Our runners have raised more than £4,000 for APP. You can still visit their fundraising pages by following the links.

Brockington Mother and Baby Unit staff (pictured above, centre) climbed Snowdon in October to support APP’s work. The team also recently helped APP volunteer Gemma Vinter to plant 240 bulbs in the grounds of the MBU, to provide a calming and beautiful space which will help patients’ recovery. The Snowden climb has raised more than £1,300 for APP.

Amy Coutts-Brittontook part in the Oswestry 10k in October. Amy is a peer support volunteer with APP and has attended events, meeting other mums like her who have experienced PP. Her run raised more than £450 for APP. You can visit and donate to her fundraising page here.

Steve Bushell ran the Yorkshire Marathon in October. Steve’s wife Jo experienced PP after the birth of their first child and spent time in an MBU where she received great care as part of her recovery. Steve raised more than £1,720 for APP and we would like to thank his employer M&G Prudential for matching funding £300. You can visit Steve’s fundraising page here.

Abi France ran the Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon in October. Her sister experienced PP two and a half years ago, has recently had her second baby and the family have found the information and personal experiences on APP’s website very helpful. Abi raised more than £1,215 for APP. You can visit her fundraising page here.

Emily Saunders, a peer support volunteer with APP, walked and cycled more than 500 miles between 1st July and 14th November 2021. These dates are important to her as they are the dates she went into and then finally came out of Nottingham MBU in 2017 (having had two stays) when she had PP, severe PND and anxiety after the birth of her daughter. Emily chose the distance as it represents the almost 500 miles from the most northerly to the most southerly MBU. Emily has raised more than £506 for APP. You can donate to her challenge here.

The team from the new Perinatal Mental Health Service in Ayrshire and Arran challenged themselves to walk 1,400 miles throughout October. They work with mums who are affected by severe mental illness in the perinatal period, and wanted to take part in #MilesForMumsAndBabies to raise awareness of PP. They chose the distance as it represents the 1,400 mums who experience PP in the UK each year. The team have raised more than £1,250 for APP. You can donate to their challenge here.

Rachel Kerr walked 100 miles for her MilesForMumsAndBabies challenge. Rachel was hospitalised for three weeks in 2016 having developed PP after the birth of her daughter. Last year, she gave birth to her son and received support from APP. Rachel has raised more than £45 for APP.

Shirley Holmes, a health visitor, has walked the six different paths up Snowdon, a total of 48.5 miles, with her husband and sister joining her for some of the walks. Shirley decided to fundraise for APP after recently learning more about postpartum psychosis. She’s raised more than £472 for APP. You can donate to Shirley’s challenge here.

You can read more about the #MilesForMumsAndBabies - and our other fundraisers - here. You can still sign up to our Miles for Mums and Babies Fundraiser and set yourself, or your team a challenge to complete.

Facebook Fundraisers: Each month, we welcome new Facebook fundraisers, many of whom have supported APP and raised awareness of postpartum psychosis by holding a birthday fundraiser. It has been lovely to celebrate your special day with you.

If you have any fundraising ideas or would like to get involved, contact fundraising@app-network for more information. We would love to support you.

Dates for your diary

International Volunteer Day, Sunday 5th December www.un.org/en/observances/volunteer-day.

APP Sussex and Hampshire virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 8th December: APP Facebook events page.

APP South Wales virtual café group meet up, Thursday 9thDecember: APP Facebook events page.

APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up, Friday 10th December: APP Facebook events page.

APP Lancashire and South Cumbria virtual café group meet up, Monday 13th December: APP Facebook events page.

APP Volunteers virtual Christmas Craft social evening, Tuesday14th December. Learn how to make festive bunting. To book your place please email us.

The Mum Poem Press online launch party for 'And How Is Mum?' zine, Tuesday 14th December. The event will also feature an open mic night and Christmas party www.themumpoempress.com.

APP Birmingham/Solihull virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 15th December: APP Facebook events page.

APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up, Friday 17th December: APP Facebook events page.

APP Partners virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 19th January 2022: APP Facebook events page.

Upcoming conferences and events

Women and Bipolar webinar: Pregnancy and Childbirth, Thursday 2nd December.
Bipolar UK event with Dr Clare Dolman and Professor Ian Jones looking at how pregnancy and childbirth can affect women with bipolar and how they can give themselves the best chance of staying well. Register here.

London Maternity and Midwifery Festival, Tuesday 18th January 2022.
The first in the Maternity and Midwifery Forum’s 2022 series of regional and national festivals. Free of charge to all practising maternity and midwifery professionals and student midwives. Book tickets here.

Perinatal Mental Health Services: Improving access and support, Wednesday 2nd February 2022.

Virtual conference focusing on improving perinatal mental health services as well as access and support during and beyond Covid-19. Book tickets here. Members of the APP network will receive a 20% discount with code: hcuk20app.

If you would like to advertise your event here, please get in touch: app@app-network.org.