Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to start by thanking Buffy Williams for bringing forward today's debate, and thanking all the Members who have contributed. It is a subject close to my heart. Indeed, one of the last things I did in this Chamber in the previous Senedd was to help bring forward a debate on perinatal mental health. It is a subject that absolutely belongs at the top of our agenda in Government, never more so than during this incredibly difficult time. We continue to hear about so many new families starting their journeys apart and without the support they could otherwise have expected.

I pay tribute to Buffy and to Laura for sharing their stories and experiences. I know it is not an easy thing to do. A huge part of properly addressing the issue of postpartum and post-traumatic stress disorder comes back to addressing the stigma around even discussing it. So, what you are doing today will make a real difference. We hear countless stories that involve well-meaning medical staff, friends, families and colleagues immediately assuming that a new birth brings only joy. It makes it difficult, impossible, for some to say 'no', that things weren't right, they continue not to be right and that they need help. Even when a tough experience has been acknowledged, you often hear, as Buffy has said, 'Weren't you lucky?', when, actually, you feel anything but lucky. 

I have to say, this is something I recognise myself, having experienced a traumatic first delivery. That was an experience that lives with me to this today. The clarity and the trauma of those moments, and the days and weeks that followed, don't go away. Those experiences and the others we've heard about today will inform the work I do in this area every day, and it will be the basis on which I will measure the services available to women in Wales.

It is vital, as Buffy has said, to acknowledge and signpost the support that is in place for individuals when they need specialist help. Following a diagnosis, mothers will be offered a range of interventions depending on the severity of their needs. This includes cognitive behavioural therapy. Services also work with the third sector and can signpost partners to voluntary organisations who offer support for bystander trauma. And it's crucial we also recognise the impact on partners and others of a traumatic birth, and thank you, Huw, for your comments and for championing the organisation in your constituency.