Evidence suggests there are five things that everyone can do to improve their mental health and wellbeing:

  • Connect with other people 

  • Be physically active 

  • Learn new skills 

  • Give to others 

  • Stay in the present moment

In this section you will find a range of short and simple coping, soothing and grounding exercises to help women stay in the present moment and cope with day-to-day stress. Encourage women to try one small thing every day and this can help to stay positive and get the most out of life and motherhood.

In this section you will also find the Cheshire and Merseyside Specialist Perinatal resource packs, which are also available through a number of national websites, including the Institute for Health Visiting, NSPCC, Association for Infant Mental Health, and many maternity units across the country.

Staying at home: supporting you with your routines, activity and wellbeing

Self-isolating can be lonely, frustrating and sometimes overwhelming. Your routines and the roles you identify with may have changed. You may have older children who are now off school or getting used to working from home.

This resource pack is designed to support you through these times, in particular to think with you about how your routines, activities and relationships can support your mental health and wellbeing.
 

Being pregnant, preparing for birth

Having a new baby is an incredible life changing event. You may be feeling a mixture of emotions as you prepare for the next stages in your journey through pregnancy to meeting your baby. We are also living through the coronavirus pandemic.

This booklet aims to give you encouragement, supportive ideas and help you identify simple steps to care for your wellbeing and prepare to give birth. Lots of mums have continued to have babies safely and happily during the pandemic.

Being with your baby, becoming a mum

You are now or about to become a mum to a new baby, maybe for the first time or again.

Having a new baby is a remarkable transition, and even more so now during the current coronavirus pandemic. These are very unusual and extraordinary times, which create many new and unexpected challenges.

This booklet aims to share supportive ideas and words of encouragement as you enter into this next transition to discover yourself as a mum, get to know and bond with your baby.


Bonding with your baby, becoming a parent

Whether you are a dad, a partner, or a parent-to-be, becoming a parent is an incredible milestone. You may be feeling a mixture of excitement and hope, but it is also entirely natural to be

experiencing worry and doubt.

These are extraordinary times. Preparing to become a parent during the pandemic creates unexpected challenges, which may leave you with many questions about the path ahead. 


This booklet aims to share supportive ideas to help you in your journey ahead, in getting to know and bonding with your baby both before they are born and beyond.
 

Perinatal positivity

Perinatal positivity uses the real voices and experiences of women and men who have had mental wellbeing difficulties around the time of pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.

The Perinatal Positivity website aims to help parents to emotionally prepare and find support, if needed. There is a subtitled version of the Perinatal Positivity film on the clips page.

 

Perinatal mental health tooklit

The Royal College of General Practitioners have developed this toolkit is a set of relevant tools to assist members of the primary care team to deliver the highest quality care to women with mental health problems in the perinatal period.

 

5-4-3-2-1: A simple relaxation or grounding strategy

https://youtu.be/jHV2J8Gp5c4

5-4-3-2-1: Calming and grounding technique for anxiety and panic attack

https://youtu.be/ByC8B5JPWQs

1 minute, notice 3 things 

https://youtu.be/xzNMABRELPg

Leaves on the stream 

https://youtu.be/r1C8hwj5LXw

Body scan 

https://youtu.be/XdHeMyhMlWI

Dropping the anchor 

https://youtu.be/xDm2c5FDLNI

Box/square breathing

https://youtu.be/xTy49RSxOGw

Mindful breathing

https://youtu.be/5DqTuWve9t8