TFL Maternal Health Awareness Week Event

Becky attended the Maternal Health Awareness event at The London Cable Car Experience, hosted by Transport for London. A free ride on the cable car and drink were on offer for those who booked their places to attend. Stalls were available for TFL colleagues and the public to speak with Footprints Babyloss, Sister Circle, Mums Aid, Mums Day Out, Perinatal Mental Health Partnership and OCEAN Birth trauma and loss mental health service. The event hosted talks on Maternal Health and the invisible weight of babyloss grief and a panel discussion.

Some of Footprints Baby Loss most loved resources on the day were the ‘What to say’ and ‘What not to say’ leaflets to support friends, family and work colleagues with finding the words after the loss of a baby or babies. We gave out some of our precious hand knitted footprints to anyone who mentioned they, or a loved one had experienced the loss of a baby. We had some beautiful conversations to raise awareness.

There were also some great questions for the panel who collectively had a wide range of experience from NHS services to community groups, peer support services and lived experience. The panel discussed the need for Maternal health to be recognised for its longer term impact on parenting as a child grows, rather than just within the postpartum period. We talked about the effect of the mental load on maternal mental health. We heard about research for lesser represented communities, from experience of postnatal psychosis, TFMR and miscarriage from Eve Canavan Co-Founder and National Coordinator of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership.

collage of four images from transport for London event with text overlay in the centre.

The impact of birth trauma and baby loss were discussed and Becky from Footprints spoke of the longer lasting effects of fertility treatment on maternal health, the complex experience of losing a baby from a twin pregnancy, premature birth and coping during pregnancy after loss. We also explored the difficulty of letting go and experiencing motherhood in a different way than expected after significant and traumatic maternal experiences.

The panel were also asked about positive maternal experiences which supported their own maternal health. Finding people who understand your experience was a key. Whether that was accessing an NHS service for psychological support, finding peer support groups or community groups who can help and support women with different circumstances.

Thank you to the team at TFL for hosting this wonderful event and for including Footprints Babyloss in raising awareness for Maternal Mental Health.