There are many groups and organisations available to support mothers through this very difficult time, but when you leave the care of the medical professionals, and you are back in the family unit, you begin to worry; worry that you are a failure, worry that you are letting people down. You feel that you can’t ask for help without being negatively judged and you start to feel that no matter where you turn, no-one really understands. How many mothers right now are feeling this way? How many mothers and families are being left to struggle alone? How many children will feel this negative impact, or grow up with strained relationships within the family unit?

Support services available to women in Wales who suffer with postpartum PTSD are available through perinatal mental health teams that are set up in each local health board. Each local health board across Wales offers varying levels of support for mothers and families who are in need of mental health support. Access to these services requires referral through GP or health visitors. Some mothers are unfortunately wrongly diagnosed with post-natal depression; we need to make sure that our GPs, midwives and health visitors are supplied with the tools and training they need to best care for those mothers who are most vulnerable at a time in their lives that they should feel safe, content and cared for.

With that said, I welcome the new mother and baby unit in Swansea bay. This is a step in the right direction when it comes to the health and well-being of mothers pre and post birth. Until now, mothers who have needed serious mental health care were admitted to acute mental health facilities without their babies, or would need to travel to a specialist unit outside of Wales. We must do more to combat the stigma of postnatal depression and peripartum PTSD. We must ensure mothers have confidence to confide in our fantastic healthcare professionals. I believe that the mother and baby unit in Swansea bay does this, and should be replicated across all seven Welsh health boards.

I want to pay tribute to all maternity staff in Wales. I know the team that cared for me went above and beyond the call of duty. There are many support groups, such as Mums Matter by Mind Cymru, and whilst we celebrate progress in specialist care in perinatal mental health, it is vital we do more, it is vital we listen better, and it is vital that we all work to remove all stigma surrounding any forms of mental health. I hope mothers who suffer with any form of PTSD take strength in the knowledge that they are not alone. Please reach out. Ask for help. I'd urge the Minister to build on the good practice of the Swansea bay mothers unit, and ensure mothers who suffer any form of PTSD or depression are better supported in the future.