More help urged for new mums

ALL pregnant women would be screened for anxiety and depression as part of a sweeping plan to improve the care of mothers and their children.

Free classes for new parents on labour, birth and parenthood would also be expanded under the recommendations of a cross-party parliamentary committee.

The three-year inquiry, which reported yesterday, revealed widespread concerns about mothers being discharged from hospitals within 48 hours of giving birth in order to free up hospital beds.

The committee urged the Government to review discharge policies that had put stress on families and harmed the “health and wellbeing of mothers and their babies”.

The committee’s report identified mental health issues, poor breastfeeding rates and a shortage of midwives and nurses as the major challenges facing Victoria’s peri-natal healthcare system.

It urged the Government to implement several public health advertising campaigns, focused on the mental health of mothers, the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks of smoking, drinking and taking drugs during pregnancy.

Other recommendations included: FINANCIAL support to help mothers in rural and regional areas pay for their travel and accommodation when they need care away from home. INCENTIVES to attract and retain peri-natal health practitioners in regional areas. NEW “day stay” clinics in the public health system to help mothers learning how to breastfeed. LOBBYING the Federal Government to create a new Medicare item so mothers can claim a rebate for consultations with lactation experts.

Labor MP Paul Edbrooke, who chaired the family and community development committee, said it was told of “distressing situations” for new mothers, including separation from their children at birth and medical procedures taking place without warning.

Mr Edbrooke said the mental health of new mothers was a key focus, with one in five pregnant women experiencing anxiety and one in 10 affected by depression.

The committee heard up to 80 per cent of new mums experienced “baby blues” — mood swings and feeling overwhelmed, teary and anxious in the days after giving birth — due to rapidly changing hormone levels.

The committee called for a statewide taskforce to organise repeated mental health assessments of pregnant women, along with training for workers to carry out the assessments.

It also pushed the need for more parenting classes after being told many were fully booked months in advance and often did not cover the mental health of parents.

The Government will consider the inquiry’s recommendations, with a spokesman for Health Minister Jill Hennessy saying Victoria’s peri-natal services were “the safest they have been in 15 years”.

“The Government is making record investments to give mums the highest quality of treatment and care,” he said.