Welcome to our ever-growing Alliance for perinatal mental health!

The Perinatal Mental Health Alliance of NL (PMHANL) aims to enhance awareness and promote care and supports for perinatal mental health across the province.

On November 27th, 2023, the Alliance released a position paper acknowledging the childcare crisis impact on the well-being of families of Newfoundland and Labrador. We advocate for comprehensive solutions and reduction in gaps in accessibility, affordability, and quality support systems.

Recent reports show that Newfoundland and Labrador currently offers only enough regulated child-care spaces for 14% of children under the age of 12, which is half the national average.

By recognizing the imperative link between the childcare crisis and perinatal mental health and through strategic community partnership initiatives, we aim to contribute to a healthier, supportive environment for all.

Our position includes:

1. Recognizing the link

2. Advocacy for comprehensive solutions

3. Collaborative efforts

4. Research and Data

We stand in solidarity with families of NL impacted by the child care crisis.

To read full our full position paper, check out the link below:

Words from the PMHANL Board Attendee's:  

The Symposium brought together leaders and innovators from across the country in the area of perinatal mental health. Presenters made the strong case for investing in policy and programs that enhance perinatal wellbeing and implement a stepped-care approach to addressing perinatal mental health issues. It was noted that research shows perinatal mental illness is highly preventable and treatable, while also being the most promising way to improve population health and wellbeing through positive intergenerational impact of perinatal wellbeing. 

Dr. Vidyasankar moderated the Access to Perinatal Mental Health Care: Lived Experience and Provider Perspectives discussion panel, highlighting the current barriers to accessing perinatal mental health care, the consequences of leaving parents without proper treatment, and potential pathways to improving access.   

It was an amazing experience to listen to stories of hardship, success, and innovation from parents and professionals from across the country who were brave enough to stand on a stage and talk openly about struggles and their determination to help other families. It was heartening to connect with so many other motivated professionals working hard to raise awareness about the importance of perinatal mental health, advocate for change, and take action to make that change happen. 

Our board members left the conference feeling grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Symposium and more motivated than ever to progress the work of the PMHANL. Thank you to the Daymark Foundation for hosting such an important and fantastic event, and for inviting the PMHANL to participate. 

- Karen Clarke, Colleen Kearley, and Dr. Archana Vidyasankar

On behalf of the PMHANL

Words from Department of Health and Community Services:

I was very excited for the opportunity to attend the very first National Symposium on Perinatal Mental Health as a representative of the Department of Health and Community Services along with my valued colleagues from the PMHANL.

The insights, connections and knowledge I gained were invaluable to my role on the provincial perinatal mental health task force and my work around growth and development in the early years. I felt inspired by the breadth of Canadian research in this area and the many innovations that currently exist in other provinces which have been shown to improve perinatal outcomes.

Addressing the psychosocial needs of families to enhance ongoing maternal/child health disparities is a major public health issue. The provincial perinatal task group continues the work from the Our Path of Resilience: An Action Plan to Promote Life and Prevent Suicide in Newfoundland and Labrador which aims to formalize a provincial perinatal mental health program for expecting and new families. At the same time, Public Health continues to prioritize the well-being of children, youth and families through the creation and reinforcement of supportive environments and practices during preconception and through the early years of children’s development.

We look forward to continued collaboration with PMHANL and others as we work to build capacity in perinatal mental health in Newfoundland and Labrador.

- Heather Percy

On behalf of the Department of Health and Community Services, Gov NL

Perinatal Mental Health 101 - Free Webinar

Postpartum Support International and the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health will be hosting a FREE virtual event, "Perinatal Mental Health 101".

Webinar will take place 3:00pm-4:30pm Newfoundland Standard Time, Dec.14, 2023, via Zoom.

Learn about the range of maternal mental health disorders, the prevalence, signs and symptoms and recommended treatment options in this complimentary webinar hosted by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health and presented by Postpartum Support International.

Registration still open for this event!

Postpartum Planning for Expecting Parents - Free Class 

Postpartum International (PSI) hosts a 2-hour class twice a month for expecting parents, as a space to assist in preparedness and skill building for parents' emotional wellbeing in the postpartum period.

The class will include education, discussion, review of a postpartum plan, and resources. The main topics covered include: postpartum physical recovery, partner support, self-care, support networks, lactation and emotional wellbeing, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

All expectant parents are welcome: moms, birthing people, non-gestational parents, partners, couples, and single parents. If you are expecting a baby soon, you are welcome to join!

These classes is meant as a one-time session, so please only register once. This is a free resource, so please cancel your registration at least 24 hours in advance if you cannot attend the class to provide opportunity for someone on the waitlist.

Registration can be found in the link below:

New literature published to the Jama Network, highlighting the latest recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for increased screening opportunities in the pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum periods to improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions. Authors advocate for increasing access to treatment and programming to improve outcomes.

Authors explain the model of "Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs" as a way to connect clinicians with tools, training, community resources, psychiatry consultation, and technical assistance in everyday work-flow. Ultimately, these programs aim to increase patient access to perinatal mental health screening and treatment through supporting clinicians.

"[T]he effectiveness and impact of perinatal mental health treatments are directly proportional to perinatal individuals’ ability to access them"

- (Moore Sima et al., 2023, p.E2)

For full text, visit the link below:

Do you or your team have an event coming up related to Perinatal Mental Health? Let us know! We would love to share more updates from our community on our website and through newsletter! Email pmhanlconnect@gmail.com with your information.