Kate invites experts to Palace to discuss maternal mental health
THE PREGNANT Duchess of Cambridge has hosted a roundtable discussion on maternal mental health.
Kate, who is expecting her third child, held the private meeting, which was not announced beforehand, at her London home Kensington Palace, with The Royal Foundation.
Palace staff tweeted a photo of a smiling Kate, joining guests at the discussion. A spokesperson said: “The Duchess is keen to develop an understanding of the issues surrounding maternal mental health, and to learn what support is available.”
The Palace also revealed the Duchess is to visit the Hornsey Road Children’s Centre – the engagement she had to postpone in September on the day the forthcoming Royal baby was announced.
As with her previous pregnancies, Kate has been battling hy- peremesis gravidarum – a condition which causes severe sickness in pregnancy. Two months on, she is finally well enough to make it to the London children’s centre on November 14 to learn more about Family Action’s perinatal mental health services and meet parents who have been helped by the charity.
The Duchess yesterday met experts from the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Family Action, King’s College London, the Best Beginnings charity which aims to reduce child health inequalities, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
At least 20 per cent of women are affected by mental health problems during pregnancy or in the first year following the birth of a child, the Palace said.
Kate has, in the past, described her life as mother to Prince George and Princess Charlotte as a “rewarding and wonderful experience”, but admitted it had been a “huge challenge” at times.
She opened up about her maternal struggles in March as she attended the launch of a series of films aimed at helping new parents cope with depression and other mental health issues.