THE range of emotions which can affect new mothers will be addressed this Maternal Mental Health Awareness week in Essex.

This year's focus is on dispelling myths regarding maternal mental health, and how to recover from these challenges. 

The Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) is now reminding women services designed to support parents and caregivers during and after pregnancy are available.

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The EPUT's 'Together with Baby' service employs clinical psychologists and psychotherapists who offer a safe, non-judgmental space, assisting parents with their mental health challenges until the child is two years old.

EPUT's specialist Rainbow Mother and Baby Unit in Chelmsford provides inpatient mental health care and treatment for women in the late stages of pregnancy and within a year of their baby's birth.

Both services aim at establishing strong relationships between the newborn and parents.

Also, having serviced more than 4,000 patients in 2023-2024, EPUT offers the country's largest community perinatal mental health services.

Attention is also given to those planning for pregnancy, and those dealing with the pain of losing a baby with the 'By Your Side' service, operational in several parts of Essex.