URGENT ATTENTION REQUIRED!

I am calling for a Mother and Baby Unit for Northern Ireland. Currently, there are NO Mother and Baby Units here. This has to change.

Don't let any more mothers and families experience trauma and unnecessary distress, or lose their lives in such a tragic way to postpartum psychosis or other serious perinatal mental illnesses, because of lack of facilities and perinatal mental health training of frontline professionals.

1. Vital, essential Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) are needed now. Why should any more children be left without a mother? Currently, new mothers are needlessly split apart from their newborn babies. Mothers die and have died from this in Northern Ireland. Mother and Baby Units save lives!
2. Why should Northern Ireland be any less important than England, Scotland and Wales? There are Mother and Baby Units there, why are there none here? 
3. Health professionals must be trained in postpartum psychosis and severe perinatal mental illness. According to research by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, in Belfast provision falls short of national standards and needs expanding. There are still not functioning specialist perinatal mental health teams across all of Northern Ireland. This isn't good enough.

Postpartum psychosis is a 999 medical emergency. 

• Postpartum psychosis is a severe mental illness which begins suddenly following childbirth. Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions, often with mania, depression or confusion.
• Over 1400 women experience PP each year in the UK (1 to 2 in every 1000 mothers). 
• Without treatment, it can cause harm to the mother, baby or both. Mothers die and have died from this here in Northern Ireland too.  
• If you think yourself or someone you know may be affected do not hesitate to seek help.
• An episode of postpartum psychosis can be very frightening for women and their families. Most women go on to make a full recovery, however, the journey to full recovery can be long and difficult. Mother and Baby Units support faster recovery.

Action on Postpartum Psychosis

As a representative here in Northern Ireland for the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP), I am asking for signatures to help get my voice heard. 

APP is the national charity for women and families affected by postpartum psychosis. APP offers support 365 days a year to mothers and families affected by this very serious illness.

Find out more: https://www.app-network.org/

Follow and tag @ActionOnPP https://www.twitter.com/ActionOnPP  

#MBUNorthernIreland