New Mothers and Pregnant Women Urged to Utilise Help Available for Mental Health

State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Hon. Krystal Lee, is urging new mothers and pregnant women to utilise the help available to take care of their mental health and well-being.

Speaking at the recertification of the Port Maria Hospital in St. Mary as a baby-friendly facility on March 13, Ms. Lee said help is always available for these women.

“We know that being pregnant and being a new mommy, the journey is challenging. And as clinicians and public health staff, we want to continue to encourage them to talk to someone if they need to,” she said.

She urged the mothers to talk to people whom they deem trustworthy, such as their friends, families or healthcare providers.

“There’s always our mental health helpline… there’s always someone available 24 hours for them to speak to,” the State Minister said.

Partners, friends and families are also encouraged to support the new mothers and pregnant women during the experience.

Port Maria Hospital’s recertification as baby-friendly was contingent on the facility’s adoption of the globally recognised ‘Ten steps to Successful Breastfeeding’.

“I love the 10 steps where it talks about support, not only through breastfeeding but we know all that can occur when a woman just has a baby or even going through a lot of stress when they are pregnant,” the State Minister said.

She said that the Ministry of Health and Wellness continues to work towards giving as much support as possible to mothers, “not just from a [physical] health perspective but even in terms of whatever stress they can deal with”.

“We’re also engaged in ongoing training of our midwives to include private doctors and senior nurses in the use of the mental health action plan which will help to screen postpartum depression and other depressions and provide the healthcare needed for our mommies,” State Minister Lee said.