I am delighted to officially announce I have become a Bliss campaigner, and am currently pursuing the lack of mental health care that NICU parents are offered. I slipped through the cracks, and was offered aftercare, and didn't see a mental health professions once. I developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I believe this could have been avoided if the correct care, or in fact any care was offered to NICU parents. After all having a baby in NICU is the most anxious and traumatic time of your life.
In my pursuit of better mental health care, I found the brilliant Little Miracles UK an organisation run by the amazing Marsha Davis which provides support and care for premature babies and most importantly their families. Me and Marsha have one thing in common and it was clear we were both very passionate about campaigning for better mental health care for NICU parents. So it was only logically we teamed up like a campaigning Cagney and Lacey!
90,253 premature and sick babies were admitted to a neonatal unit in the UK. [Neonatal Data Analysis Unit, 2014 report]
Parents of these babies are 10 times more likely to suffer post-natal depression.
41% of neonatal units have no access to trained support; 30% no support at all.
Little Miracles has been doing such good job about getting NICU parents voice heard, currently a petition is underway which you can sign by clicking on the below link. It is calling for;
(1) Funding/resources for mental health support for all neonatal units in the UK
(2) Mental health screening for all parents of premature and sick babies.
(3) A trained mental health worker e.g. a counsellor, assigned to all neonatal units
(4) After leaving hospital; care and professional support for as long as it is needed
(5) Provision for peer-to-peer support, or similar, for these parents
CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE PETITION
It only takes a minute or so to sign and your signature could make the world of difference to NICU families.
Another great way you can get involved is to take this survey, this is just for NICU parents and the data received will be turned into a report to illustrate the care that NICU parents are receiving.
You can take part in the survey by clicking here.
You may read this and think that one signature, one survey result it will not make a difference. But it will. To families like mine, a family who was nearly ripped apart because of my mental illness after Elijah's admission to NICU. You may have seen the news recently where a woman died because of her severe PND and not receiving the help she needed. Please help us make a difference and save lives and families.
Thank you.
NICU MUM X
In my pursuit of better mental health care, I found the brilliant Little Miracles UK an organisation run by the amazing Marsha Davis which provides support and care for premature babies and most importantly their families. Me and Marsha have one thing in common and it was clear we were both very passionate about campaigning for better mental health care for NICU parents. So it was only logically we teamed up like a campaigning Cagney and Lacey!
90,253 premature and sick babies were admitted to a neonatal unit in the UK. [Neonatal Data Analysis Unit, 2014 report]
Parents of these babies are 10 times more likely to suffer post-natal depression.
41% of neonatal units have no access to trained support; 30% no support at all.
Little Miracles has been doing such good job about getting NICU parents voice heard, currently a petition is underway which you can sign by clicking on the below link. It is calling for;
(1) Funding/resources for mental health support for all neonatal units in the UK
(2) Mental health screening for all parents of premature and sick babies.
(3) A trained mental health worker e.g. a counsellor, assigned to all neonatal units
(4) After leaving hospital; care and professional support for as long as it is needed
(5) Provision for peer-to-peer support, or similar, for these parents
CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE PETITION
It only takes a minute or so to sign and your signature could make the world of difference to NICU families.
Another great way you can get involved is to take this survey, this is just for NICU parents and the data received will be turned into a report to illustrate the care that NICU parents are receiving.
You can take part in the survey by clicking here.
You may read this and think that one signature, one survey result it will not make a difference. But it will. To families like mine, a family who was nearly ripped apart because of my mental illness after Elijah's admission to NICU. You may have seen the news recently where a woman died because of her severe PND and not receiving the help she needed. Please help us make a difference and save lives and families.
Thank you.
NICU MUM X
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