Complimentary Support listings
Please find a list of complimentary support services and organisations here (opens in new browser window). If you are in crisis, please present at A&E immediately. If you need to talk now please contact the Samaritans on 116123. This list is by no way exhaustive.
Please email hello@latnem.org with information if you know of any services that we should be including. Inclusion in this list is for information purposes only and by no way indicates an endorsement or recommendation of the service offered.
Organisations
A list of organisations and websites that we like, hope you do too…
Being preganant with mental health can be a worry. Often we hear some pregnant ladies are advised to stop taking medication without proper consideration of the impact on their mental state. This website can be really helpful. It is produced by UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS), a not-for-profit national organisation hosted by the Newcastle upon Tyne hospital NHS Foundation Trust and funded by Public Health England on behalf of the UK Health Departments. Being informed can help you make the right decision, with your team of health care professionals, for you and your baby.
The Breastfeeding Network (BFN) are an amazing charity. LATNEM supports all families, regardless of how they choose to feed their babies, but CHOICE is very important to us. A mum should not be told she cannot breastfeed her baby because she needs to medicate her mental health.
The BFN have produced fabulous fact sheets with detailed information on safe medication choices for mum and baby. Their specially trained pharmacists will also answer questions through their facebook page here.
Parent and Infant Mental Health Scotland – PIMHS – (formerly Maternal Mental Health Scotland) including the Experts by Experience Reference Group, is a membership based Scottish Charity. Their members range through professionals working in the perinatal mental health field, women with a lived experience of perinatal mental health issues and others with an interest in our work. PIMHS looks to improve the provision of perinatal mental health services throughout Scotland for women, their partners and families.
The PIMHS Change Agents use their lived experience to challenge the stigma around maternal mental ill health. PIMHS change agents have a facebook page here.
The Birth Trauma Association (BTA) are a charity that supports women who suffer birth trauma – a shorthand term for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth. About 30,000 women a year, according to the most recent research, experience birth trauma in the UK.
Blank Canvas offer peer support for women affected by perinatal mental illness both during pregnancy and postnatally. They run creative workshops in a supportive environment. Workshops are delivered by mums with lived experience.
The Association for Post-Natal Illness is a Registered Charity (No. 280510) established in 1979. They aim to provide support to mothers suffering from post-natal illness, increase public awareness of the illness and encourage research into its cause/nature.
They have an online chat, phone line and befriending service. See the website for more information.
The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) is a charity and coalition of over 100 organisations working together with experts by experience and clinicians to achieve our shared vision and improve the lives of women and families in the UK affected by perinatal mental illness
NHS Grampian Maternity services. This website was developed in conjuction with the NHS Grampian Maternity Voice Partnership (MVP) and includes information on the NHSG Perinatal Mental Health Midwifery service.
Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland (PMHN Scotland) is a national managed clinical network. They aim to help develop and improve access to high quality care for women, their infants and families, who experience mental ill health in pregnancy or during the first postnatal year. They want to make sure that expert-led care and treatment is available wherever a woman lives in Scotland.
The Perinatal Mental Health Partnership is a group of health professionals, charity leaders, mental health campaigners, and advocates with lived experience of perinatal mental illness. They are the official coordinators of the UK Maternal Mental Health Matters Awareness Week.
‘Ready, Steady baby’ is the NHS guide to having a child in Scotland. It was updated in 2019 by Public Health Scotland. Listening to the voices of lived experience the Mental health and well-being sections were overhauled and expanded. It’s a great resource and my first stop when looking for advice online.
Action on Postpartum Psychosis is the national charity for women and families affected by Postpartum Psychosis (PP). PP is a severe mental illness which begins suddenly following childbirth. Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions, often with mania, depression or confusion.
PND&Me was founded to raise awareness and support mothers affected by maternal mental illness. They host #PNDHour online peer support tweet chat every Wednesday 8-9pm on twitter @PNDandMe
AIMS supports all maternity service users to navigate the system as it exists, and campaigns for a system which truly meets the needs of all. The AIMS Helpline volunteers are all experienced in providing information and support on pregnancy and birth issues. They focus on helping those who contact the Helpline to find the information that they need to make informed decisions which are right for them, and support them to have their decision respected by their health care providers. They are also able to provide a listening ear and practical support for women who are unhappy with their experiences.
Birthrights provide advice and information to women and birthing people, train doctors and midwives, and campaign for respectful and safe maternity care that protects fundamental human rights.
The LGBT Mummies Tribe was set up to‘ Educate, Share, and Celebrate’ LGBT+ women and people worldwide on the path to motherhood or parenthood.
They act as a central point of support and a safe haven through providing information, guidance and knowledge on the available routes to starting a family through our website and social channels including support groups.
LATNEM Peer Support 