Maternal Mental Health Supports: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-11
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

I move:
“That Seanad Éireann:
recognises that:
- the period after childbirth is a time of significant physical, emotional, and mental adjustment and that post-natal care is critical for the health and well-being of mothers, babies, and their families;
- in particular mothers need access to affordable and timely mental health resources, such as counselling, therapy, and peer support, to address potential issues like post-natal depression, burnout and anxiety;
- the Maternity and Infant Care Scheme currently provides for two post-natal visits to a GP, comprising an examination of the baby at two weeks old and an examination of the mother and baby at six weeks old, while a public health nurses will visit the mother and baby at home, usually within 72 hours of returning home from hospital, and visits thereafter are confined to structured checks on the baby’s development;
commends:
- the ‘Year of Care’ campaign and other initiatives that have highlighted the structural deficiencies in State provision of supports, including in particular mental health supports, for new mothers in their homes;
endorses:
- the call for comprehensive, year-long, post-natal support for mothers, to ensure that mothers receive the support they need to recover fully and to thrive, benefitting not just the mother, but also the child, the family and society as a whole;
calls on:
- the Minister for Health to commit to the necessary expansion of services, to include increased funding, improved access to mental health services, post-natal check-ups for up to one year and the establishment of community-based support networks throughout the State, so as to ensure every mother has the resources she needs to thrive.”

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:37+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-11