What Happens When Silence Is the Inheritance?
Around 1 in 10 women will experience a mental health problem during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth. But for many Black, Asian and ethnically diverse women, the silence around this experience is even louder.
There’s a quiet myth embedded in our communities, that strength is the absence of struggle. That resilience means carrying the weight without flinching. But data and lived experience tell a different story. One where stigma, cultural pressure and systemic neglect collide to create an invisible epidemic.
This week is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and it’s time to look closer. Not just at the numbers, but at the narratives.
The term perinatal covers the full arc, from conception through the postpartum period. It’s not just about “baby blues.” It’s about recognising that serious mental health conditions like perinatal depression, anxiety and postpartum psychosis can and do affect anyone, regardless of race, income or background. But access to care, trust in services and culturally competent support? That’s where disparities begin to multiply.
For BAME women, maternal mental health often lives in the gaps. The gap between being heard and being dismissed. Between being supported and being stereotyped. Between asking for help and fearing judgment.
The Perinatal Mental Health Team exists to bridge those gaps. Their mission is clear, to identify, assess and treat serious mental illness in the perinatal period by working with you, your family and trusted health professionals. Importantly, they also offer support for new fathers, because parenting affects us all and no one should walk this road alone.
So what happens if we bring this truth into the open?
What happens if we replace shame with support and judgment with care?
What happens if we start telling the full story not just of birth, but of what it means to be born again as a mother, a father, a family?
This week, we ask you to do just one thing, talk. Start the conversation. Share the link. Check in on a sister. Honour the strength in vulnerability.
If this message resonates with you or someone you care about, don’t let it end here. Like this post, share it with your network and mention a woman or family member who needs to know they’re not alone. In the spirit of connection, drop a comment and tell us What helped you feel seen, supported, or stronger during your journey?
Many NHS trusts also have specialist perinatal mental health teams and you can ask your GP or midwife for a referral. Here are a few services that can support another woman right now:
Perinatal Mental Health Teams for specialist support during pregnancy and postpartum
Maternal Mental Health Alliance for national awareness and access to care
Local BAME Support Groups culturally sensitive spaces for women of colour
Mind and Black Minds Matter UK mental health resources tailored for diverse communities
SistaTalk Wellbeing Group our own safe, supportive community for healing and empowerment
Because healing doesn’t begin in isolation, it begins when one woman dares to say “You’re not alone. I see you.”
