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Pregnancy and early motherhood can be joyful, but it can also feel overwhelming and isolating. For women experiencing mental health challenges during the antenatal or postnatal period, that uncertainty can feel even heavier. Without the right support at the right time, anxiety can grow, confidence can diminish and families can begin their journey together already under strain.

With support from our charity Open Up's Little Something Fund, we have been able to fund specialist training for four additional clinicians within the Perinatal Service to deliver the Parents Comfort Zone programme across all teams. This investment means we can reach up to 84 women each year, and every antenatal mum on the pathway will have access to the same structured, evidence-based and preventative support, wherever she lives in Devon.

The eight-week programme is practical and experiential, rooted in occupational and psycho-educational principles. It helps mums better understand perinatal mental health, develop strategies to manage anxiety, build self-esteem, explore sensory approaches to feeling calmer and establish supportive routines as they prepare for their baby's arrival. Just as importantly, safe peer spaces can be created to reduce isolation and build reassurance at a time when it is needed most.

Selina Dare, Occupational Therapy Lead within the Perinatal Service, said: The programme gives women the opportunity to pause and focus on their own wellbeing before their baby arrives.

The peer element is often the most powerful part, with mums saying it is the first time they have felt genuinely heard and understood during their pregnancy.

Being able to offer the programme consistently across all four teams means we can provide an equitable, skills based and preventative offer to every antenatal mum in our care.

With your support, Open Up can fund more projects like this that make a lasting difference from the very beginning. If you would like to help them continue this work, you can make a donation today.