Nurturing assistance
NURTURE COUNSELLOR ANNE ROONEY TALKS TO SINEAD HEALY ABOUT POST- NATAL DEPRESSION, TREATING IT, AND WHY WOMEN OFTEN DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT BUT THEY REALLY SHOULD
EVERY year more than 12,000 women are diagnosed with post- natal depression and more than 6,000 women suffering from the condition go undetected. Nurture is an Irish Charity which offers affordable counselling to women suffering from post- natal depression, fertility difficulties, miscarriage, depression in pregnancy along with many other issues surrounding maternal Mental Health.
The charity was first established in Dublin in 2011 by now CEO Irene Lowry in a bid to offer “immediate counselling and supports surrounding conception, pregnancy and childbirth” and have recently expanded a network of their services to Sligo.
Anne Rooney, Nurture counsellor in Sligo has been working with the charity for a number of months and believes it is a crucial service to women in the area.
“It’s the only service in Ireland that offers timely support for women with post- natal depression,” she told The Sligo Champion.
“The problem with post- natal depression is that people don’t like to talk about it.
“When you become pregnant it’s supposed to be the best thing in the world and women who are struggling for various reasons it’s hard for them to say ‘ hang on this isn’t going so well for me’.
“Part of what Nurture does is to raise awareness that these feelings are very common. There are high numbers of it happening to women and we want to let women talk about it.
She continued: “We want to help with prevention by making an early intervention and stopping people getting to the point where they can’t cope.”
The charity receives core funding from the National services of Suicide Prevention under the Department of Health and has also received additional funding from Social Entrepreneur Ireland however it is not a free service and requires a fee.
“We do ask women to make a contribution but we never turn anyone away either, but wherever possible then obviously we need to charge a fee but it is based on a person’s ability to pay.” said Anne. Nurture has a strict ‘ No Wait Policy’: all appointments are directed to head office, details are sent to the counsellor from that area and the client is contacted within a 24/ 48 hour period with the aim of meeting within a two week time- frame to ensure that women who are experiencing these illnesses can quickly access the support they need.
Unfortunately because of the stigma surrounding Mental Health issues in Ireland many women find it difficult to talk about their symptoms or to seek help.
Anne believes social media has had both a positive and negative impact on maternal Mental Health.
“There has been celebrity cases where these high profile women said they’ve suffered and women feel it is okay.
“However many also see these high profile women having babies and bouncing back, their lives look perfect but the reality for so many women is that this is not the case.
“It can be very difficult and it can be amazing to have a child or be pregnant but for many women it isn’t this rosy picture displayed on social media, so it can play a dual role: sometimes you get the positive stories but there can be too many positive stories that women think they can’t compare too.”
While their main aim is towards women and maternal Mental Health the service also works with men; partners or husbands who are finding things difficult.
“It’s all about families and parents and obviously if mum/ dad isn’t doing well, it can impact the whole family.” said Anne.
The demand for this service is apparent in Sligo and boarding counties of Leitrim and Roscommon; Nurture Sligo has made links with public health nurses, maternity services, practice nursing and all the key maternity services who all support the work that Nurture is doing.
“Referrals are beginning to come through from midwives, public health nurses etc so it just takes time, it’s getting the information out to the public to let them know we are here it is early days there is a gap for us in the system.” she said.
The support service is now available in Sligo through the newly- established counselling service based in the Family Resource Centre ( FRC) in Sligo Town, and provides rapid, affordable access to an experienced therapist.
As the charity develops it hopes to have support groups available for women in the local area to share their experiences together and support one another.
“Ignoring it won’t make it go away. It is difficult when you are feeling low, you don’t want to talk to anyone and you cut yourself off from people.
“It is difficult, but the more we talk about it in the public area than hopefully the easier it will be for people to come forward.” said Anne.
Post- Natal symptoms can include: loss of identity, difficulty sleeping, and difficulty bonding with baby, over worried/ anxious, loss of concentration, loss of interest in people or favourite hobbies/ activities.
If you are someone you know are experiencing these symptoms contact Nurture.
Nurture also advices all women to seek professional help from their own GP.
Please call: 01- 8430930 or visit the website on: www. nurturecharity. org
IT REALLY IS OK TO TALK ABOUT IT AND WE WANT WOMEN TO TALK ABOUT IT