Leigh Day x Mothers Matter – Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week

Leigh Day x Mothers Matter  

Mothers Matter is an organisation specialising in pre and postnatal mental health, based in South Wales. They offer free counselling and wellbeing hubs and support those affected by pre or postnatal depression and baby loss. 

Leigh Day supports mothers and families affected by birth injury. Our specialist team of lawyers and midwives support clients through their claim. 

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week  

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is organised by Perinatal Mental Health Partnership UK and was launched in 2017.  

This year, it takes place between 4-10 May 2026 and the theme is “A Decade of Voices”. The aim is to raise awareness and educate people about maternal mental health problems, advocate for those affected and help them to access organisations who can provide support.  

Q&A 

Amy Downey: Over the past decade, what have women and families consistently told you about how it feels to seek help for their mental health before, during or after pregnancy?  

Katy Thomas: Unfortunately, all we hear is how let down families feel by the system and how they were left with no answers. While for some having a baby is exciting and the most amazing experience, for others it’s hard, they may have had a troubled up-bringing and they are worried about becoming a parent themselves, they may see others around them who struggle and wonder how they will do it.  

They may suffer with their mental health and wonder if being pregnant may magnify it. They may have suffered a previous loss or be career-driven and they don’t know what kind of effect this may have on them as a person who lives to work. A question we get asked a lot is “Will I lose my identity?”. Being unheard is also hard while being in the perinatal trimester. A lot of mums feel they can’t speak their minds and be open as they are made to feel it’s a failure or they can’t cope.  

The main worry is people branding them a “bad mother”. Feelings are often dismissed and or not heard. Health professionals are under a lot of pressure. Unfortunately, the services don’t have time to sit with mums and dads and spend time with them and identify where their thoughts and anxiety of becoming a mum are coming from. This is where organisations are so needed, we have the time to listen, we understand and we can keep them safe.  

Mothers Matter was set up out of pure lived experience because I was not listened to, I was dismissed and undervalued as a new mum and a new mum after suffering with profound loss. 

Amy Downey: What are the common themes you have seen from mothers and families seeking support? 

Katy Thomas: Being unheard is the biggest, being missed in the system or not being clinically ill enough to get support. There is such a huge problem in the health systems as they all work on scores, such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and General Anxiety Disorder scoring.  

As much as I do agree with the scoring framework, as we also use it ourselves, I also feel it is too static as I believe there should be some movement around these scores. So if a patient scores 13 and above, she may be entitled to support from the NHS but if that patient scores 12, she’s turned away. That mother is just left then. This is where the gap comes in - who looks after them?  

Thankfully Mothers Matter pick those mothers up and we offer that early intervention. Loss doesn’t fall under the perinatal criteria for postnatal depression? which blows my mind, because after loss your body tells you “you have had a baby” so why don’t they get the support? I will keep fighting for this because this was where I was massively failed.  

When I lost my son, I suffered so badly with grief and my postnatal mental health. There was no one to support me with my hormone changes or my questions surrounding how I manage what was going on for me and my body. 

Amy Downey: We encounter a wide range of issues within maternity care, and as a result, the impact on patients can vary significantly. A recurring concern we see is that mothers’ voices are not being heard.  

Too often, concerns raised by women and their families are dismissed or overlooked, and we have seen this lead to avoidable harm. It is essential that concerns are listened to and acted upon promptly. While pregnancy and childbirth can give rise to mental health difficulties, the presence of a physical injury almost invariably brings with it a psychological impact as well.   

How can systems, professionals and society better listen to and support families navigating perinatal trauma, miscarriage, stillbirth or baby loss?  

Katy Thomas: They need to start to listen and I mean actively listen. Health professionals need to work more intuitively with the third sector and understand working with those with lived experience brings value.  

Stop trying to fix everyone and just sit and be present with them, treat people like people not like numbers. Understand more, stop basing someone’s mental health on a number and understand that person. Make miscarriage matter, stop treating it like it’s nothing and understand that person lost a baby! Prioritise people over statistics and understand the value of understanding someone and listening to them. 

Support 

Mothers Matter offers wellbeing hubs throughout Rhondda Cynon Taff (RCT), Bridgend and Cardiff, offering up to six sessions of free one to one counselling sessions for perinatal mental health.  

If you or a loved one would benefit from the services Mothers Matter provide, please contact 01443548588 or email: info@mothersmatter.co.uk or visit their website.

Or if you would like to support the invaluable work that Mothers Matter offers, please view their website.

At Leigh Day, we support mothers and their babies who have been harmed as a result of poor care, recognising how distressing and overwhelming this experience can be. Throughout the claims process, our aim is to help families understand what happened, why it happened, and whether it could have been avoided.  

We know that having clear answers can be an important part of the healing journey, particularly for mothers who often need reassurance that what happened was not their fault. The claims process also allows us to seek an apology and appropriate compensation where avoidable harm has occurred, helping families feel acknowledged and supported as they move forward. 

Leigh Day’s lawyers are experienced in dealing with claims arising from negligent maternity care and can offer tailored advice to anyone who has a concern. In addition to our specialist lawyers, we also have a team of midwives who can offer support. Please contact 02076501200 to arrange a call.