Publish date: 30 April 2024
We're pleased to announce that perinatal mental health consultant, Dr Jamila Carey, will feature in the Unapologetically Black Podcast this week, coinciding with Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week.
Dr Carey works for the Trust Perinatal Service and Maternity Trauma, Loss and Care Team in West London, supporting women who are experiencing mental health problems during and after pregnancy.
Dr Carey appeared on the podcast to discuss some of the issues facing black mothers.
She said: "There's an assumption that motherhood and mental ill health don't really align, they're not connected.
"We sort of elevate mothers to be sacrificial, blissful beings, who kind of float above it all, regardless of what's happening in their lives, regardless of pressures, they're perfect and all-seeing, all-knowing, all-loving, all the time.
"To have any cracks in that facade is considered to be really shameful and causes a lot of guilt.
"People know about the stigma regarding mental health, but there's an additional stigma when you have mental health issues when you're pregnant or have children, which I think we're only starting to acknowledge and misogyny comes into that a little bit as well.”
Dr Carey also spoke to hosts Roshan Roberts and Leeanne Levers about the fears associated with becoming a parent, how to advocate for yourself during pregnancy, cultural disconnect between generations, how we parent and preventing postpartum depression.
The Unapologetically Black Podcast is delivered by the Dope Black Women Community Interest Company, a multi-award winning digital safe space for black and black mixed women, and non-binary across the globe.
The episode featuring Dr Carey will be available to listen to on Spotify on Thursday 2 May.
Listeners of the podcast can expect honest conversations and insight, embracing the multifaceted nature of being a black woman.
Maternal Mental Health Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental health problems before, during and after pregnancy.
You can find more information about Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week here: Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week | Maternal Mental Health Alliance
You can meet the Trust perinatal team this Saturday (4 May), at the Osterley Parkrun at 9am.
Following the event, the team will be holding a stall on the park green opposite Osterley House and we're asking participants to bring their own picnic to raise awareness around maternal mental health.