In this Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, Moment Health and Shnuggle founders, Nuala Murphy and Sinead Murphy have come together to promote the #CheckYourSymptoms campaign to encourage new mums to download the Moment Health app tocheck their maternal mental health and seek necessary help.
Tech entrepreneur Nuala Murphy, CEO and Founder, Moment Health, said: “Some 70% of new mums aren’t aware they are suffering from maternal mental health and related issues so at Moment Health we are collaborating with international baby product manufacturer Shnuggle to promote our #CheckYourSymptoms campaign in order to spread the message of our appto mums to acknowledge they could be suffering and to speak up, seek help and ultimately save their life.
“This is a global issue. The world’s parents are suffering, and many are doing so in silence. And it doesn’t stop with the world’s parents. It ends up impacting children, the entire family unit, and, if left untreated, becomes an inter-generational legacy. And that’s why we have developed the #CheckYourSymptoms campaign so new and expectant parents can download the app and check their symptoms to prioritise their mental health at this crucial time and ultimately catch any issues early so they can be recognised and treated.”
Pregnancy is such an exciting time, but it can also bring anxieties and fears for a lot of new mums, mums-to-be and Dads. For Adam and Sinead Murphy who founded Shnuggle almost 9 years ago, being first time parents with a seriously ill baby brought all of those anxieties and fears home. It was ultimately these challenges and experiences as new parents which became their motivation for Shnuggle and the company’s main purpose and vision to design products which make parenting easier and safer for growing families.
Sinead Murphy, Shnuggle founder, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Moment Health during Maternal Mental Health Week. With statistics showing that a large percentage of women and men continue to suffer from antenatal and post-natal depression or anxieties, it is so important that awareness of the issue continues to be a key focus.
“Maternal mental health is a topic close to my own heart, suffering from post-natal depression myself in the past. Mental Health Week is a fantastic opportunity to shine light on the issue, helping to raise awareness of the symptoms and the importance of early intervention.”
It’s vital that new mums, new dads, partners, families and support networks are aware of the common signs and symptoms of perinatal depression and anxiety, and the warning signs are shown on two simple, easy-to-follow infographics – one for Anxiety, one for Depression – to highlight what these perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can feel like.
Nuala added: “If Moment Health and Shnuggle help one mum or dad through recognising their symptoms on these infographics, we are making a change for the positive. We are making progress. But we’re hoping to reach many, many more.”
Early intervention leads to an 80-90% chance of successful recovery. During Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week take a moment to #CheckYourSymptoms and download the free Moment Health app on iOS and Android. www.momenthealth.io.
