New mothers with severe and complex mental health needs are falling through the cracks of the Irish healthcare system due to a severe shortage of specialist services, according to a report published on Tuesday by the National Women’s Council (NWC). The findings highlight critical gaps in perinatal care, including strict time limits on post-partum services and the separation of mothers from their infants during inpatient psychiatric care.
Gaps in Post-Partum Care Timelines
Maternity care services in Ireland typically conclude six weeks post-partum, operating under the assumption that physical health concerns have resolved by that window, according to the NWC report. However, data from Trinity College Dublin’s Maternal Health and Maternal Morbidity in Ireland study shows that anxiety, depression, and other complex mental health disorders actually increase three months after birth, peaking at six months post-partum.
While depression and stress rates drop slightly at nine months post-partum, researchers recorded another increase at one year post-partum. Overall, the data indicates that one in five women experience mental health difficulties during the perinatal period. In response, the NWC is urging the state to implement a comprehensive perinatal care system that addresses both physical and mental health needs throughout the entire first year of motherhood.
The Absence of Specialist Mother and Baby Units
A central finding of the NWC report is the ongoing absence of a dedicated specialist mother and baby unit in Ireland, a key recommendation from the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) 2017 specialist perinatal mental health model of care. Because these units do not exist, mothers requiring inpatient treatment for severe or complex conditions are admitted to general mental health units without their babies.
“This is why NWC has repeatedly called for the urgent establishment of a mother and baby unit. Women cannot wait any longer,” said Doireann Crosson, women’s health co-ordinator at the NWC. Crosson noted that separating mothers from their infants has a detrimental impact on the mother-infant bond and attachment. Alongside inpatient facilities, the NWC is calling for increased resourcing across all specialist perinatal mental health services, primary care, and community supports.
Invisible Experiences of Migrant and Traveller Women
The report also draws attention to how marginalized groups experience the maternity system. Participants in a round-table discussion for the NWC report stated that migrant and Traveller women do not feel represented by the data underpinning current perinatal health policies, despite the prevalence of mental health difficulties being far higher among Traveller women.
Salome Mbugua, chief executive of Akidwa, the national network of migrant women, stated that migrant women encounter distinctly different experiences within maternity services, but the lack of specific data renders those experiences invisible. Mbugua noted that smaller-scale research and data from the United Kingdom suggest maternity outcomes for migrant women are worse than those for the general population. She called for improved data collection underpinned by cultural humility, gender sensitivity, and trauma-informed care.
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