One new mum in 4 is unhappy says Kate

THE Duchess of Cambridge yesterday sympathised with the mental plight faced by many mothers.

Kate said they were supposed to be “super happy” after giving birth, but one in four was not.

She has previously admitted suffering a lack of confidence over the pressure to be a perfect parent, and gave a further hint of her insecurities during a visit to Bethlem Royal Hospital in south-east London.

The future Queen, who is due to give birth to her third child in April, also said spending time with babies had made her feel “very broody”.

She went to a unit housing babies with mothers who have suffered severe mental illness in late pregnancy and early motherhood. Women spend on average eight to 12 weeks in the unit, before they are able to go home.

The 36-year-old Duchess, pictured, wearing a blue Seraphine dress and coat, then joined a meeting with health visitors, midwives and community nurses.

She was briefed on research that found that, in the hospital’s neighbouring boroughs, one perinatal woman in four experiences mental health issues.

Earlier she visited scientists researching mental health problems in new mothers at the King’s College Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute in south-east London.