The Lotus Service North Staffs

A reminder to take a few moments for yourself today!

Whether it's a cup of tea , a walk around the block or treating yourself to a KitKat.

The little breaks make all the difference. 😌

A reminder for us all!

Some days, taking care of yourself seems like a big ask. Sometimes just the little things, like having a chat to a friend or colleague, can really help to boost your mood. 💕

So, we've already learned about the benefits of running and walking on the theme of for Mental Health Awareness Week. Swimming is a great way to keep fit, stay active and is relatively low impact. Why not try a session and see how you feel?

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Birth Trauma have this week released their birth trauma inquiry report. This report details over 1300 families' experiences of birth trauma and makes a number of recommendations for maternity care. We know that public events like this can be difficult and triggering for anyone who has had similar experiences, so please take care if you choose to watch any news, read social media etc around this topic. The full report can be found here if you wish to read it:
https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/birth-trauma

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😌This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme is Movement: Moving more for our mental health! 😌

Our Peer Support Worker Kirsty ran Trentham Gardens Parkrun with our Trust's Combined Running Club over the weekend. 🥳

Here's some Parkrun facts in celebration of their great run:

🏃‍♀️It's a free, weekly timed 5k run or walk at 0900 on a Saturday
🏃‍♀️The events began 20 years ago, at Bushy Park in 2004
🏃‍♀️You can run with your dog, or even with a running buggy
🏃‍♀️We have THREE locations to try in Stoke on Trent & Staffordshire: Trentham Gardens, Hanley Park and the Wammy.
🏃‍♀️ If you don't want to/ can't run, you can walk the course. They have dedicated "parkwalkers" and a "tailwalker" so you're never the last across the finish line.

Why not sign yourself up for FREE and give it a try at 0900 this Saturday? You might meet some new friends, set a new PB or try something new🤔

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

There are some excellent support services out there if you need someone to talk to, especially this .

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week 🎉

If you’re needing a little support, here’s who to call ☎️

📍 Have you experienced an induction of labour?
📍 Do you have feedback you'd like to share?

On 26th May our friends at Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership are holding a drop in session for just that! Details below 👇

⭐️Your feedback matters⭐️

We are holding a virtual drop in session to understand and improve the maternity experiences of women and birthing people across Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent.

Join us online on 24th May to share your experiences.

https://bit.ly/44DJrQl

Sometimes, finding the words to start the conversation around your mental health is the most difficult part. Here are some excellent suggestions from Pandas Foundation (Pre And PostNatal Depression Advice and Support) to start those conversations🙌

Earlier this week, our Maternal Mental Health Midwife and Consultant Clinical Psychologist made a trip to Keele University to deliver an informative session around perinatal mental health and birth trauma to a cohort of midwifery students. 👏

This morning, our Peer Support Worker Kirsty and Clinical Psychologist Fabia attended Just Family. CIC's Just Us group. It was an excellent group and really good to chat to the some of the mums about their experiences and recovery journeys. They also gave out some lovely wellbeing gifts for the mums to enjoy 🥰



North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust Just Family. CIC

Our Peer Support Worker, Kirsty, shares her recovery story with us on Maternal Mental Health Week. 🥰

One of the wonderful organisations that we work closely with to support families in Stoke on Trent and Staffs🥰

Just Family. CIC

Meet Janine Proctor, founder of Just Family. CIC who do fantastic work in our area, and were recent recipients of The Kings Award for services in the community 💜

Today's theme for is the Perinatal Positivity Pot. So, we thought we'd share some feedback from some fabulous ladies who have accessed the Lotus Service 🥰

In line with today's theme, we thought we would share some suggestions as to how you can rediscover yourself when it comes to postpartum exercising - WITH your baby!

Just because you've become a parent, doesn't mean that you have to stop doing the things that you love - you might just need to make some slight adjustments to make it something you both can enjoy 💕

Well done to Kerry for so bravely sharing her story 🥰



Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week - a Mum's Story Kerry, one of our Maternity and Neonatal Champions in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, shares her own experiences ...

Sands, the stillbirth & neonatal death charity are here to support you alongside our service if you have sadly suffered a loss 🩷

Today is World Maternal Mental Health Day. We know that pregnancy and baby loss can have a huge impact on maternal mental health, and we want to encourage you to reach out to a trusted friend or family member if you are struggling.

If you know someone who has experienced pregnancy or baby loss, take this opportunity to check in on them and give them the opportunity talk.

As always, our support is here for you 💙🧡

sands.org.uk/support

Today's theme for is identity transformation in the Perinatal period.

Did you know?
There are a huge number of physical, psychological and emotional changes involved in becoming a mother. Collectively, they're known as .

What a wonderful way to celebrate day 3 of and ! With the theme for today being 'Stronger Together', Peer Support Workers Kirsty from Lotus North and Sophie from The Lotus Service - MPFT visited the maternity team at County Hospital to deliver homemade Lotus biscuits! 🥰

Just a reminder - come and celebrate World Maternal Health Day with us tomorrow!

⌚️ 1pm - 4pm
📅 1st May 2024
🏢 The Bridge Centre, Birches Head

Open to Lotus service users both old and new 💕

Having a neonatal experience can have a lasting effect on your mental health, even years later. Bliss research has shown that 80% of parents' mental health got worse after their time on the neonatal unit. During this Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, we will be supporting our friends Perinatal Mental Health Partnership with a focus on “rediscovering you” https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.pulse.ly/kv5cm6yhzj

Some great content coming from Perinatal Mental Health Partnership today for day 2 of !

Welcome to Day Two of - todays theme is Moving Together Through Your Changing World.

10am on our Instagram- Live class event with , an award winning charity with a simple mission to improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems through sport and physical activity.

They deliver a range of pregnancy and mum and baby classes across the country and have a vision to support the Mother and Baby Units (MBUs), using physical activity as part of women’s recovery journey.

8pm on our Instagram- My Personal Experience of Perinatal OCD with our Ambassador and our Co-Founder

We know that might be difficult for some of you. So this is to share that we are thinking of you, and we are here to support you too 💕

Our Peer Support Worker Kirsty had a great morning with Just Family. CIC at the Just Us group to raise awareness of Maternal Mental Health & The Lotus service.

We took some wellbeing goodies for the mums and the children even got involved with some colouring in too! 😍

The mums also got involved by writing 3 positive things about themselves on the back of the lovely pictures to remind them how amazing they are on a bad day 😌



North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

It’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year is ‘Rediscovering you’. We know the devastating impact pregnancy and baby loss can have on someone's health and wellbeing. We want you to know that regardless of how long ago your loss was, it’s ok to not be ok.

Sometimes it’s the simple things which make the most difference, whether it be getting some fresh air or meeting with a friend for a coffee. If you know a bereaved parent, you could also help by sending them a text, giving them a call or even popping around to see how they’re doing.

Please remember if you are finding it difficult, we are always here for you 💙🧡

➡️ sands.org.uk/support

You may also find it useful to talk to other bereaved parents through our Online Community and Facebook Group.

💻 sands.org.uk/onlinecommunity
📲 facebook.com/groups/SandsSupportGroup