Government must act for a full year of postnatal care now
Government must act for a full year of postnatal care now - The Labour Party
- Mothers need care beyond six weeks
Labour Senator Nessa Cosgrove today called on the Government to move immediately to implement a full year of postnatal mental health care for all new mothers, following a cross party briefing held in Leinster House on the Year of Care campaign.
The briefing followed the recent passing of a Labour Party motion in the Seanad and brought together TDs, Senators, advocates and campaigners to hear first hand about the gaps in postnatal care and the urgent need for reform.
Senator Cosgrove said the political consensus now exists and Ministers must turn words into action by legislating for year long postnatal care.
Senator Nessa Cosgrove said:
“Today in Leinster House we heard powerful, honest and deeply moving testimony about the reality of postnatal care in Ireland, and the reality is this: the system withdraws support just when many women need it most. Following the passing of Labour’s Seanad motion calling for a full year of postnatal care, I was proud to welcome Aolish Gormley, founder of the Year of Care campaign, to Leinster House alongside Liz Kelly, Director of the Irish Maternity Network, and Eilish Balfe, a Labour Party and SIPTU activist. Each speaker laid bare the shortcomings of the current system while also recognising the clear political appetite for change that now exists.
“Liz Kelly spoke about the growing impact of birth trauma, which affects one in five women and has increased as Ireland has shifted from a midwife led to an obstetrician led maternity model. She also warned of an increase in freebirths, where women disengage entirely from maternity services to avoid coercive practices, and stressed that dangerously low staffing levels among midwives now pose a risk to patient safety. Liz also underlined the urgent need to reinstate a Chief Midwifery Officer in the Department of Health, a post left vacant since 2011.
“Eilish Balfe spoke about the emotional burden placed on women to repeatedly relive trauma in order to advocate for change. She shared her own experiences and highlighted the vital role Early Years Educators play in supporting new mothers and in identifying postnatal depression and distress at a point where the health system often fails to intervene.
“Postnatal care is often described as the fourth trimester, yet while every other trimester lasts 13 to 14 weeks, postnatal care effectively ends just six weeks after childbirth. For most mothers, care amounts to a GP visit for the baby at two weeks and a check for mother and baby at six weeks. After that, support disappears. Mothers are treated like any other patient and will only receive help if they actively seek it out. That is not care. That is abandonment.
“As a new mother myself 17 years ago, I understood some of the pressures women face. But it was not until Aolish contacted me last year that I fully grasped how structural and systemic these gaps are. Aolish experienced delayed onset postnatal depression and turned that experience into action by founding Ardú, an informal network of mothers supporting each other through shared activities that promote holistic health. I attended an Ardú sea swimming session in Sligo and saw first hand how powerful community based support can be when the State fails to show up.
“That experience inspired the Year of Care campaign, launched in Strandhill last May, which exposes how many mothers fall through the cracks once formal care ends. The State has failed to recognise that many needs emerge well beyond six weeks. Some women do not even recognise those needs themselves until much later. The result is isolation, untreated mental illness and profound distress during a critical period.
“The statistics demand action. Between 15 and 25 percent of Irish mothers experience some form of depression in the first year after giving birth. Because of poor follow up and the absence of a mother and baby mental health unit, many women go undiagnosed and untreated. Most devastating of all, suicide remains the leading cause of death for women between six weeks and 12 months postnatally. We have a duty to confront this reality and act.
“The personal stories in the Year of Care booklet will resonate with anyone who has lived through this or supported someone who has. Joy replaced by fear. Love overshadowed by guilt, confusion and the belief that you are failing. These feelings often do not arrive in the first six weeks. They come later, sometimes much later, when life becomes harder, not easier.
“The Year of Care campaign aligns with Labour’s long standing commitment to gender equality. Women must have real choices after childbirth. That means quality early years services for those who want to return to work, and it means a full year of paid maternity leave and income security for those who want to stay at home. Today’s motion called for increased funding, extended postnatal check ups, continuous mental and physical health support, community based networks nationwide and maternity leave of up to one year.
“I was encouraged to see Senators from across the political spectrum engage positively with these proposals. Ministers Mary Butler and Jennifer Murnane O’Connor attended the debate and confirmed Government support last week, alongside the Minister for Health. Consensus now exists. What is missing is delivery. This motion carries no legal weight, but it sends a clear message. The system is failing mothers. I am calling on the Government to use the consensus shown today to introduce legislation and make a full year of postnatal care a reality. Mothers cannot wait any longer.”