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“Nurture is an Irish charity offering counselling and supports surrounding pregnancy and childbirth mental health illnesses & emotional wellbeing.
Nurture is a unique and vibrant charity founded by counsellor Irene Lowry and co founder Lilian Mc Gowan who offer the possibility of timely professional intervention. With professional intervention this literally can save and change a woman’s life. Nurture offers affordable professionalcounselling services and supports to women, partners and their families in the Leinster and Munster areas. Those who turn to Nurture are seen within two weeks of contacting the charity. In severe cases a woman or mother will be seen within 24 / 48 hours for a professional counselling appointment. We also offer counselling supports via Skype which is more than beneficial to those who may not be able to travel or may not be in our support areas at present.
Nurture with their professional counsellors facilitate a ten week support programme which is truly inspirational for women as they attend this group initially as a stranger and generally leave with life long friends. Nurture plans to run the WRAP programme in 2014 i.e. Wellness, Recovery, Action, Plan which really is about how to remain mentally, emotionally, and physically well for the future.”
Nurture’s affordable and accessible services helped 375 women to overcome pregnancy-related mental health illnesses in 2012. The charity’s philosophy is one of listening and supporting individuals and families through counselling, support groups, wrap programme, (Wellness,Recovery,Action, Plan) training and education. Depression relating to pregnancy is not linked to age or social status nor is it associated with just women, it affects men too and in 2012 Nurture helped 35 partners who were battling these illnesses by offering them counselling support.
Nurture works alongside GPs, health professionals, maternity hospitals, local HSE primary care teams, adult mental health services, public health nurses and child services, and in conjunction with community groups and other organisations that work in this specific area of mental health.
Each year in Ireland, approximately 22,000 women are diagnosed with antenatal and postnatal depression. Postpartum psychosis affects approximately one in every 1,000 women in Ireland. Thousands more women suffer from depression brought on by the death of a baby or fertility problems. More than one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage and around 500 babies die around the time of birth each year. Every year Nurture’s helps hundreds of women, men and their families get back to living a healthy & happy life and we want to be able to offer our services and supports nationwide to every one of these women & their partners and families.
Nurture is a registered Irish charity and receives no government funding so Nurture is completely reliant on donations the public. We need your help to make our mission a reality.
Nurture aims to continue to address this hugely TABOO and STIGMATISED area of mental health in Ireland by encouraging people to talk openly about their mental health experiences.
If you would like to talk to a member of our team in Nurture please call us at: Landline: 01 8430930 or E Mail: info@nurturepnd.org
All information is treated with utmost confidentiality
“It really is okay to talk about it”
This is great to know. So many women suffer from PND and there is no shame in asking for help. It is awful for the families and the women who are suffering and its good to know there is someone you can turn to if you need a hand.
I had a touch of PND on my first baby and it was a difficult time and I wish I had confided in my family and friends more or asked for help at the time. I was so miserable and I was afraid to talk about it because I felt I was supposed to be happy with my new baby and that I had no reason to complain.
It is an emotional state to be in and you can feel vulnerable, anxious, upset, worrisome but its ok to ask for help. I have since spoken about how I felt at that time and I realise I had nothing to be ashamed about – I just wish I had done it sooner. There is alot of support and help for women feeling this way.
If you are worried about yourself, ask for help. It is there for you.
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