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

This is a debate on a very important issue that impacts not only every single new mother and baby but also their other children, their partner and their extended family. I thank my cross-party colleagues Senators Harmon, Noonan and Stephenson for allowing our time to be used to discuss this extremely important matter.
Postnatal care is often referred to as the fourth trimester, yet while each other trimester lasts 13 to 14 weeks, postnatal care ends just six weeks after childbirth. As a new mother myself 17 years ago, I was aware of some of the shortcomings and gaps that exist in the provision of care for new mothers. However, it was not until I was contacted last year by a Sligo woman and absolute powerhouse, Aolish Gormley, that I saw the structural inadequacies that meant the gaps in care are not accidental but often systemic. Aolish survived a serious instance of delayed postnatal depression and then founded the movement Ardú, which is the Irish word for "rise". She is also the founder of the Year of Care campaign. Ardú is an informal network of mothers and a space where women can support, inspire and empower each other. It is a community of connection. The name is inspired by the Irish saying "Ar dóigh muid le chéile", together we will rise.
The women in Ardú work for and with each other. The genius behind it is that we are all a resource for each other and it is so wonderful to see so many women in here. Gerry is in a minority here, I think. We all know every woman has something of value to share. There is so much stigma associated with talking about mental health, especially for women experiencing postnatal depression. The activities women take part in with Ardú include sunrise hikes, running, breathing workshops and sauna sessions and, of course, being based in Sligo, sea swimming, which I have been a part of myself.
It was through these conversations with other mothers that Aolish developed the Year of Care campaign, through which she drew my attention to the institutional nationwide lack of provision, which becomes very obvious once it is understood. The lack of postnatal care beyond six weeks is a failure by us as a State to recognise not only the many needs of a new mother stretching beyond six weeks, but also that some needs may not even be recognised by the mother herself or those around her before care has been withdrawn. This leaves many mothers without adequate mental, physical and emotional support during this very critical time. This grassroots initiative, which I have been following closely since it was officially launched by Aolish in Strandhill in Sligo one Saturday last May, aims to bridge these gaps. The campaign chimes perfectly with the long-established Labour mission of achieving gender equality. Our society and political system still relegate women's issues, needs, aspirations and lives to second place. Without gender equality, our democracy remains unfinished.
This motion brings the needs of women at a particular point in their lives into the focus they deserve. In this motion, we are looking for increased Government funding, improved access to mental health services, extended postnatal checkups, the extension of maternity leave to one year and the establishment of community-based support networks throughout Ireland to ensure every mother has the resources she needs to thrive. All too often the specific needs of lone parents and those most in need of support are neglected. All mothers deserve to feel they are fully supported on their journey through motherhood. Those who need additional help in accessing public services, childcare and income supports must be given it.
The aim of this motion is simple. It is to create a system where no mother feels alone and every family have the support they need for a strong start. Through following the values and measures proposed in the Year of Care campaign, Ireland could become a leader in maternal care. The personal stories told in the Year of Care booklet, which I have here, will be familiar to anyone who has experienced postnatal depression or who knows close friend or family member who has. The feelings of guilt and confusion with unbounded joy at the arrival of a much-loved and wanted baby is supplanted by the grip of depression, with love beyond measure overshadowed and overpowered by fear that the baby could be unwell or could even have died during their sleep, fear that you are not good enough or fear that you are falling apart. It can be the feelings of inadequacy and loneliness when a husband, partner, family friend or relative returns to work, which can feel even worse for older mothers, who often feel they should have it at this stage all under control.
These feelings often come not within the first six weeks but much later. Yet, from the moment a mother gives birth, she is on a countdown. Life does not become easier after six weeks; it often becomes harder. Just imagine - or for those of us who have been through childbirth, remember - the immense strain that pregnancy and birth, whether vaginal or Caesarean, puts upon the female body, such as the physical energy required by our system to start and maintain breastfeeding, the sheer emotional and hormonal changes a woman experiences in her body, the mental and physical strain of getting to know a brand new human who depends on you utterly for their life and well-being, and then mix into all that six weeks of sleep deprivation.
Life does not become easier after six weeks and can become harder. Precisely at this time, however, after a six-week checkup, care for the mother, in the current system, is withdrawn. Tales of women going for their six-week checkup, during which the GP's attention is solely on the baby, are common. Aolish tells the story of a new mother attending her GP for a six-week checkup and being told there was not really a need for it but that they might as well do it anyway - just to basically get on with it. Is it any wonder women often feel invisible and unheard?
The Year of Care outlines ten elements of good maternal care that take an holistic approach to ensuring a mother's well-being. The first is year-long postnatal support. Postnatal care should be extended to a full year. Mothers should have continuous access to checkups, mental health support and physical recovery services throughout the first 12 years. We need to significantly increase resources to provide adequate postnatal support to women.
We must prioritise mental health by providing accessible, affordable services for mothers, including therapy, counselling and peer support groups to address conditions like postnatal depression and anxiety. Currently, if a woman requires an inpatient stay due to a mental health incident, she cannot bring her baby with her. No other single move could be more calculated to increase and deepen postnatal depression. The Government must honour its commitment and take immediate action to establish Ireland's first mother and baby unit.
The third element is comprehensive physical recovery. Postnatal depression and mental health challenges are not the only challenges faced by women after giving birth. The physical body has been put under tremendous strain and undergone phenomenal changes. Mothers deserve the physical care they need for managing pelvic floor issues and exercises to healing Caesarian scars, to breastfeeding support and guidance for ongoing recovery.
The fourth element is workplace and employer support. As the party of work, Labour has always supported workplace policies that accommodate the needs of new mothers. I know that the Government has made great strides in this direction and I really urge and hope that all Senators here will support year-long parental leave, a right to flexible working practices and breastfeeding friendly environments.
The fifth element is community-based support networks. Local hubs and support groups provide effective, hands-on assistance and emotional support. They build a sense of community for new mothers. Groups such as Ardú, which Aolish Gormley founded, could be supported at very little cost through the deployment of community workers to help women themselves and facilitate holistic, informal and beneficial networks.
The sixth element is equity and accessibility. All mothers, regardless of their socioeconomic background, ethnicity or geographic location deserve equal access to postnatal care, services and support. We know that single mothers and women from disadvantaged communities and hard-to-reach groups need more support.
The seventh element is education and awareness. Awareness of the importance of comprehensive postnatal care must be raised, empowering families to understand what is to be expected during the first year and how to seek the support that they need.
The eighth is policy and advocacy. Long-term, not year-to-year, investment in postnatal services will result in improved healthcare infrastructure.
The ninth element is family and partner involvement. Partners and other family members are primary care support services for most women
The tenth is training for healthcare professionals, whom we all know play an invaluable role in the lives of new mothers. Our wonderful healthcare professionals have a unique opportunity to make an immense difference to the quality of care on offer. It is essential that the training that they receive is relevant, targeted and ongoing to ensure practice remains.
I want to finish by acknowledging some of the work that has been done. Postnatal hubs, such as the establishment in Sligo University Hospital, provide enhanced community midwifery care delivered to women and babies in clinics they can access. Health checks for mother and baby, breastfeeding support and supplying support for additional services also take place in-person and telephone support is always available. However, the extension of enhanced postnatal midwifery hubs throughout the country and be funded to provide a full year of care would be a fantastic start to all the needs of new mothers. Mar fhocal scoir, I really urge all Senators to support this motion.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:37+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-11