Pregnant women and new mothers with mental health difficulties are 'falling through the cracks'

Krysia Lynch, an advocate with The Association for Improvements in Maternity Services (Aims) Eire said: 'Maternal death data are always very difficult to reflect on'. File picture

Pregnant women and new mothers with mental health difficulties are falling through the cracks of Ireland's healthcare system, advocates have warned.

It comes as new figures showed suicide was the leading cause of late maternal deaths between 2022 and 2024.

Earlier this week, the Maternal Death Enquiry (MDE) reported that suicide was the leading cause of deaths among women in the year after giving birth during the period.

On Friday, mental health minister Mary Butler said two key meetings are due to take place this month around plans for a specialist inpatient mother and baby psychiatric unit.

The proposed facility would allow women to remain with their babies while receiving care.

Krysia Lynch, an advocate with The Association for Improvements in Maternity Services (Aims) Eire said: “Maternal death data are always very difficult to reflect on. 

"The psychiatric and psychological effects of pregnancy and postpartum continue to colour this round of data, and we still see the prevalence of suicide as a major factor,” she said.

“This means there is more impetus than ever to look after women's mental health, not just after pregnancy but during it.” 

Ds Lynch called for progress to be made through an ongoing review of perinatal mental health care, explaining that this “feels all the more important" now. 

Dr Lynch said she has heard of new mothers only receiving one visit from a public health nurse. “Isolation and poor experience leave women traumatised and with little or no support in the postnatal. Women fall through the cracks,” she warned.

"Who wants to know more about their experiences, where they might feel vulnerable and what supports they might benefit from?  We all know the answer; it's no one.” 

Perinatal care plans

The HSE intends to build a perinatal mother and baby unit on the grounds of St Vincent’s University Hospital, though the exact location has not yet been agreed. Such a unit was first recommended in 2017.

Ms Butler said: “I’m determined to progress the development of a perinatal mother and baby init so that women can have their babies stay with them if they require inpatient psychiatric care.” 

She will meet with the HSE national director for strategic health infrastructure and capital delivery to discuss the matter next week. A separate meeting of key stakeholders takes place at the end of September.

Funding is part of a €470m package for mental health capital projects over the next five years, said the minister.

“I am also working with the regional executive officer for the Midwest to progress a smaller [perinatal mother and baby unit] in Limerick so that we can make these supports available on both the East and West coasts,” she said.

The HSE said: “Each maternal death is a tragic outcome and represents the loss of a woman, with a significant impact on her family and those involved in her care.” 

A spokeswoman said all direct maternal deaths are externally reviewed. Families receive bereavement support and notifications are sent to the HSE’s National Women and Infants Health Programme.

MDE findings are used to drive improvement across maternity and mental health services.