CYP Now - New mums lack support to cope with isolation and depression

Nearly a third of new mums from low-income households lack local support networks to help them through pregnancy and are unaware of services to help with depression, a survey has found.

The survey, conducted by parenting club Bounty UK on behalf of the charity Family Action, questioned more than 2,200 women in the early stages of pregnancy through to mothers with a youngest child aged two.

It found that a fifth of women do not have friends or family nearby who they can turn to if they feel isolated through pregnancy or immediately after the birth of their child. This rose to a third among women in the lowest income group.

Thirty per cent of the women said they were not aware of local services to support them through feelings of isolation and depression during pregnancy and immediately after birth. A quarter of women who responded said they were not always comfortable bonding with their babies.

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