PMH Borders
Having a baby is a major, life changing event and many mothers and parents can end up feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility. Perinatal Mental Health Borders is a Scottish Registered Charity and has, for over a decade, been providing evidence based therapy for those affected by the birth of a child and early parenthood. We are based at East Lodge in Galashiels, a cosy, domestic building, just perfect for our work. East Lodge's owner now needs to sell. We've searched exhaustively for somewhere else to rent, but nothing comes close to what we have here. So we need to raise £110,000 by Autumn 2024 so we can buy East Lodge and secure the long term future of our service, the only one of its kind in the Borders.
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The most resilient of mothers can find life with a new baby challenging. The worries of inexperience with a first born, the lack of sleep, the 24 hour 7 days a week shifts take their toll. For most, things improve and a still demanding life gets into perspective as they bond with their new little person and enjoy engaging with them as they develop, but some mothers are not so fortunate and need professional intervention. They may have anxiety, low mood, depression or birth trauma. Perinatal mental health issues can also affect expectant mothers, sometimes when there has been an earlier baby loss. These conditions are extremely debilitating and disabling and the mother often excludes herself from society. Family life is disrupted and fathers find it hard to care for the mother and baby. The lack of bonding between mother and baby can lead to children growing up with educational and emotional difficulties which may influence their development. The mother’s problems may disadvantage the whole family. We are not dedicated to supporting people from challenging backgrounds, but a small number of our clients do come from economically disadvantaged households and some mothers have suffered domestic abuse because of their inability to cope.
We provide somewhere for women to go where they can receive practical support with therapy or counselling, while their children are cared for in our crèche. The regular one-to-one sessions help to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness and gradually rebuild self-esteem in the mother so she is more confident, more able to engage with her baby and cope with the demands of her life. We also provide training in infant massage, while a nutrition group for those clients ready for discharge helps them gain skills in cooking and feeding a family.
We get some great feedback from our clients!
You can help us raise capital funding to buy East Lodge and secure the long term future of our service. We have been very fortunate in raising revenue funding to run our service, and are supported by major grant givers, including the Scottish Government's Perinatal and Infant Health funding, but raising £110,000 capital in a short time is a whole new challenge. Nevertheless, the Trustees are determined to do this, and have had some success so far with grants from major charities. We're optimistic that with a bit more help, we can do it!
