The Mother Matters Program ensures the wellbeing of the child is tied to the wellbeing of the parent.
Shockingly, one-quarter of women in Canada experience postpartum depression or anxiety. For young mothers, the data is even more worrying. Sixty per cent of new mothers under the age of 25 experience postpartum mental health issues. Despite this, only one in five, or 20 per cent, of these young mothers receive the treatment they urgently need.
When mothers with mental health problems fall through the cracks of a fragmented healthcare system, outcomes for the mothers, their families, their children, and their communities can be serious. Further, the impact on the healthcare system is exacerbated through increased emergency room visits and system strain.
Our Mother Matters program, an online eight-week postpartum mental health therapy service developed by our Reproductive Life Stages Program, found its home here over a decade ago, with the intention of changing the way people access care.
The wellbeing of a child is inextricably tied to the parents’ wellbeing.
Mother Matters gives participants the opportunity to share thoughts, feelings, and experiences, while learning from and supporting others in the group. Anyone in Ontario who is within their first year of having a baby can refer themselves. And it’s free.
At WCH, we see firsthand how having postpartum mental health supports can make all the difference as they navigate through this reproductive life stage. Being able to connect with other postpartum individuals fosters an inclusive space to reflect on your personal mental health journey in a supportive environment.
A participant shared, “I was thinking that my situation was so bad, but I read other stories that made me feel grateful. It opened my eyes… I recognized the symptoms of depression.”
“Women who participated in Mother Matters are four times more likely to recover from moderate to severe depression,” said Dr. Lori Wasserman, Psychiatrist and Lead of the Reproductive Life Stages Program at WCH.
With incredible philanthropic gifts received this year, WCH is building a new platform that will be increasingly mobile-friendly and technologically advanced. “Because of generous investments, we’re able to create a more modernized, accessible forum with multimedia features. It will allow greater functionality for users, reducing barriers to access,” said Dr. Wasserman. “We’re also excited to begin adding specific groups that will foster a safe space for participants to open up about shared experiences – for example, we’re starting a group for Black parents and one for adolescent parents.”
Investing in postpartum mental health support with a focus on the impact of sex and gender is an investment in family wellbeing.
The Slaight Foundation’s generous gift to the Mother Matters program is improving mental health outcomes for mothers and their children.
