Northamptonshire families invited to join Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week events
Mothers, expectant mothers, families and the wider community are being invited to take part in a range of local events to mark Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, including drop‑in sessions across Northamptonshire and a community wellbeing walk at Delapré Abbey.
Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity to talk openly about emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and early parenthood and to highlight the specialist support available through the NHS. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and many women and families experience challenges during this time. Support is available and no one should have to cope alone.
During the awareness week, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s (NHFT) Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service will be hosting a series of informal drop‑in sessions at community locations across the county. The sessions are designed to offer a relaxed, supportive space to meet the specialist team, ask questions, and find out more about perinatal mental health and available support.
Drop‑in sessions during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week
Tuesday 5 May
NGH Antenatal (Area K) – 10:00–11:30am
Moulton Library (Wellbeing drop‑in) – 9:30am–12:00pm
Daventry Family Hub (Sensory under 1s) – 11:00am–12:00pm
Kingswood Family Hub – 10:00–11:30am
Towcester Family Hub (Buggy walk) – 1:00–2:00pm
Wellingborough Library – 2:00–3:00pm
Wednesday 6 May
Brackley Library – 10:00–11:30am
Desborough Library – 10:45–11:30am
Kingsthorpe Family Hub (Under 1s sensory) – 1:00–2:30pm
Thursday 7 May
Weston Favell Library – 10:00–10:30am
Kettering Family Hub (Baby massage) – 9:30–10:30am
Kettering Family Hub (Bumps and Babies) – 1:00–2:30pm
Kingsthorpe (Buggy walk) – 1:00–2:30pm
Friday 8 May
Towcester Family Hub (Home‑Start group) – 10:30am–12:00pm
Oundle Library – 10:00–11:00am
Kettering Hospital Maternity Unit – 1:00–2:30pm
Maternal Mental Health Awareness Walk
As part of the week, members of the public are also encouraged to take part in a Maternal Mental Health Awareness Walk.
Where: Delapré Abbey
When: Sunday 10 May
Time: 11:00am–1:00pm
The free walk will last approximately 30 minutes and is open to everyone. It offers an opportunity to meet and talk with staff from NHFT’s Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Team, alongside individuals from other local services, while encouraging open conversations about maternal mental health in a relaxed, outdoor setting.
About the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service
NHFT’s Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service provides assessment and treatment for women who are experiencing, or are at increased risk of experiencing, moderate to severe mental health conditions during pregnancy and up to 12 months after having a baby. (Care and treatment can be provided for up to 24 months where there is an ongoing perinatal mental health need.) The service also offers counselling prior to conception, for women who have previously experienced a severe mental illness and would like support when planning a pregnancy.
Around one in five women experience mental health difficulties during pregnancy or in the first year after birth, with anxiety and depression being the most common conditions. Post‑partum psychosis, while rarer, is a serious and treatable medical emergency. Encouragingly, referrals to NHFT’s Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service have increased by 67% over the past six years, showing that more women are accessing the support they need.
Accessing the service
The Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service is unable to accept self‑referrals. Referrals must be made by a health professional involved in a woman’s care, such as a midwife, health visitor, GP, hospital team or mental health service. Routine referrals are responded to within four weeks.
Further information about Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week events and the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service is available here: https://www.nhft.nhs.uk/updates/nhft-latest-updates-whats-happening-in-northampton-for-maternal-mental-health-awareness-week-13217