Staff at Uned Gobaith (Unit of Hope), located in the grounds of Tonna Hospital in Neath, held a Christmas party and invited former patients to come along and share their stories.
The unit, which is overseen by Swansea Bay University Health Board accepts women from across Wales, cares for new mums who experience a wide range of mental illness including postpartum psychosis, depression, anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Entertainment for the seasonal event was provided by Live Music Now Cymru’s Lullaby team, who have been working with the unit’s mums to compose songs for their children, and the Avanti Ladies Choir.
Rachel Burman, a social worker assigned to the unit, said:
“We thought that it would be lovely to get all of our mums, past and present, into the same room so we can see how far people has come since being admitted to us.
“It’s quite emotional seeing people who were with us a few years ago, when they had tiny babies, and now they have little toddlers running around. It just goes to show the importance of a place like this, supporting somebody through mental illness at a time when they need it most.
“I’ve seen massive improvements in people, really dramatic. People have come in to us really poorly, very depressed, very low, very anxious, and then they are able to stand up and sing a song about their baby in front of an audience.”
“It’s really lovely for the people who are with us at the moment to actually see that there is hope. When you are very unwell it is easy to lose sight of that hope. These are people who were just as unwell as you, and now are much better. They are not poorly at all. It just goes to show that there is always hope.”
One new mother Kerry, who spent time in the unit with her baby last year, added:
“We were admitted to the ward just before Christmas 2021, when my little boy was 10 days old, and we spent four months here getting better.
“I was basically struggling to gain any relationship with my son and I wasn’t sleeping or eating – by the time I was admitted, I was incredibly unwell. It was a live or die situation for me.
“I had become so severely depressed it was a concern for anyone to let me out of their sights.
“We made the choice to come to Tonna and spent four months working with all the incredible staff – nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, midwives, everybody was on standby.”
“Four months later I was able to leave knowing that I would have a life with my child.
“I’m really good now. It’s obviously not all sunshine and rainbows, there are bad days, kids are kids, they will push all your buttons, but 90 percent of the time it is everything that I wanted motherhood to be.
“When I first got admitted I could see nothing past a black hole so to sit here at this most wonderful party that they have put on is just amazing. They work so hard, and they put so much love and energy into every person that comes through their door.
“It just blows my mind how they do it every single day because it’s not an easy job to look after someone who was unwell as I was.”
Anita Louise Rees, service manager, commented saying:
“We would like to thank our wonderful supporters who have helped make today possible including the Lullaby project team and the Avanti Ladies Choir.
“For myself and the team it has been an emotional, humbling and rewarding experience to reflect with families here today about the journey they have been on, and the positive role Uned Gobaith has played in this.
“To see so many happy and healthy parents, babies and toddlers here today really reminds us the value of having a Mother and Baby Unit and Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service here in Wales.
“It has also further highlighted the true value of peer support, with people at different stages of their parenting and recovery journey coming together today through shared experience.
“Giving those at the beginning of their journey a sense of hope and optimism about finding light at the end of the tunnel and happier times ahead.
“Myself and the Uned Gobaith team would like to wish all the families and friends of the service a very Merry Christmas and happy and healthy year.”
[Lead image: Swansea University Health Board]
