By Your Side (Maternal Mental Health Service)

This is the first NHS specialist, evidence based, psychological and therapeutic service for perinatal loss within Essex, which enhances support for women offered by third sector organisations and bereavement midwives.

EPUT’s existing perinatal mental health service in the community works with people who are antenatal or postnatal with a baby up to one year old. Prior to the launch, there was no therapeutic service for those who have experienced a moderate to severe mental health response to a perinatal loss. This service has been commissioned to bridge that gap.

It aims to enhance and promote trauma-informed care across departments by co-working and bringing specialist experience.

Natural responses to trauma and loss can include grief, pain, sadness, loneliness, anger, guilt, helplessness, self-blaming, mood swings and low mood. However, if these symptoms persist or worsen and significantly impact; ability to function, day to day life, new parenting relationships and/or decisions around reproduction, pregnancy, and birth, you may require a higher level of support.

The service will offer a mix of video consultations, telephone appointments, face to face assessment and treatment in perinatal hubs and home visits, depending on your needs, as it is acknowledged that maternity and clinical spaces can be triggering if you have experienced a loss.

The service will not provide a crisis response. If anyone you know is in crisis, call NHS 111 and select the option for mental health.

At this stage, By Your Side can only provide support to the person who was pregnant. If you are a partner or family member of the person who was pregnant, you can contact Therapy for You or we would encourage you to visit your GP.

There are also many charities you can speak to. If you are in crisis, please call NHS 111 and select the option for mental health.

If you are struggling with your mental health as a mother or birthing parent and have not suffered a perinatal loss, you can contact our colleagues within the specialist perinatal mental health service. Alternatively, if you have concerns regarding your bond with your baby, you can contact our colleagues from the Together with Baby service.

People who were pregnant and their loved ones affected by any mental difficulty not pertaining to loss can also access community perinatal mental health services, relevant charities or call NHS 111 for mental health crisis.

We are aware loss can be difficult to process, and so members of the lived experience community would like us to share this story, in the hope it can provide others some comfort like it brought them.