A north-east mental health charity has created a new support group for pregnant and new mothers in Peterhead.
Mental Health Aberdeen (MHA) is running the support group – Mum’s the Word – in the town’s community centre every Wednesday to March 4 from 1pm to 2.30pm. A crèche is provided free of charge for children.
Flora Todd, manager of MHA’s service in Peterhead, said that having a child can be a difficult experience for some mothers.
“Getting the chance to talk to other new mothers and finding that other parents share the same worries and concerns can be very reassuring,” she added.
“We had identified the need for a group for pre and post natal depression and Mum’s The Word provides a relaxed and informal environment for mothers and mothers-to-be to talk to each other, have a cup of tea, share skills and experience, and above all get some emotional and practical support. We would encourage any pregnant women or new mothers who feel they need some help to come along and see what we can offer.”
It is hoped further programmes can be run in the future if MHA secure further funding.
Ms Todd said: “We were fortunate to secure funding from the Peterhead Early Years Forum to run the sessions which are currently ongoing.
“We have some money left over from a grant which had been received last year from the Buchan Health Improvement Fund and we have permission to use it towards funding a second group. This will go some way towards enabling us to run a further eight sessions but other funding needs to be secured.”
The Mum’s the Word group is just one of a range of mental health services provided by the charity, which is active in towns including Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Banff and Turriff.