A new charity to help Auckland mums with post-natal depression has been set up.
Mothers Helpers was founded six months ago by West Auckland resident Kristina Paterson. Its aim is to help pregnant and new Mums who are at-risk of, or already suffering from post-natal depression, cope at home. The charity’s main goal is to support mothers to get well, recover quickly and get their families back to normal.
Kristina comes from a nursing background and says that she welcomes all women to use the service.
“We help people with post-natal depression, or those who are at high risk and have little emotional or practical support. They can self-refer through our website, and I’m also working with agencies, midwives and GP’s who can refer people on to us.”
Kristina says that Mothers Helpers will then send a volunteer to assess the woman’s needs, and help with childcare and housework. The charity can also put people in touch with other services that mums might need, such as counselling, mentoring and even get free frozen meals delivered to home.
She pairs up volunteers with Mums from their local areas around Auckland, to make it more convenient for both. Kristina says it’s important that people feel they can reach out for help at any time.
“Post-natal depression is not talked about very much, and many mums feel a lot of shame about it. Society and mothers themselves often feel like they should be able to cope, so they keep quiet and struggle on. What we want to do is create awareness about post-natal depression, help people in need and where we can, prevent it from happening in high-risk mothers.”
Kristina says that friends and family can also refer people on to Mothers Helpers if they are concerned. Mums who are at high risk include single mums, young mums, those who have been through a stressful situation (such as death of a parent), or those with other young children at home who are not receiving much help.
* Visit Mothers Helpers now to enquire about making a donation, volunteering or to refer yourself or someone else to use the service.