Wigan Health Column: GM Mayor visits service supporting parent-infant bonds
Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, recently made a special visit to Wigan’s Building Attachments and Bonds Support (BABS) - a parent-infant mental health service run by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH).
Andy met with parents and their babies who are currently receiving support from the service, and those who have benefitted from it in the past, alongside BABS staff and other health and social care staff, to hear about the important work being done.
Dr Catherine Corker, Clinical Psychologist at BABS, explains:
“Becoming pregnant or having a baby is a time to look forward, and a time to look back.
“Unexpected thoughts and feelings can be brought up. These can be triggered by our own experiences of being parented, and/or other life stressors such as health, finances, or personal relationships.
“Parents can feel overwhelmed, isolated and experience feelings of guilt and hopelessness, as well as thoughts of ‘I’m not a good enough parent’ or ‘my baby doesn’t like me.’ This can contribute to difficulties in parent-infant relationships, unintentionally.
“It takes courage to ask for help, and at BABS we work alongside families to understand and build their relationships.
“We support people to develop curiosity about how their infant might experience the world, what their infant might be feeling and communicating, and promote positive mental health and wellbeing in parents, care givers, infants, and families.”
During his visit, Andy heard powerful lived experience stories from some of the people who have been supported by BABS.
Here is some recent feedback that the service has received:
“Thank you. No words will ever be enough to show you how truly grateful we are for all your help. Your patience, understanding and compassion is truly unmatched. You have helped navigate some of the most complex events and always made me and my baby feel seen heard. I will always remember and be so thankful for you”
“Those two simple words “thank you” would never be enough to express how grateful I am to you, for helping me to get me back. I am beyond grateful to have met you, you have honestly not only changed mine but my entire family’s life. Thank you”.
BABS works with families from pregnancy to the third year of age, who live in and/or are registered with a GP in the Wigan Borough. The team offers psychological therapy, support focused on developing parent-infant relationships, one to one and group sessions, and more. BABS also works closely with wider health and social system partners, including specialist midwives and health visitors, to support a greater understanding of parent-infant mental health and develop a collaborative approach to care.
For more information about BABS, or to self-refer, visit Building Attachments and Bonds Support. Or speak with your GP or a health professional you are working with.
If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and select option 2. Support is available 24/7, free of charge, and you can call on behalf of yourself or someone else. In emergencies, contact 999 or go to A&E.
