Mum-of-four starts support group after birth trauma

A mother-of-four who set up a support space following her own pregnancy trauma said the group was an "amazing opportunity" to pay forward the help she had received.

Gemma Fyfe, from Longlevens in Gloucester, was left with post-traumatic stress disorder following miscarriages and an emergency C-section.

After support from "incredible" professionals, she started Gloucestershire's first Pandas group, part of a nationwide charity, to support anyone with children in their lives needing mental health support or simply a place to talk.

"You can come in your ball gown, in your pyjamas, we don't mind at all, it's a non-judgemental safe space and you can chat if you want to, or not," she said.

The Pandas charity is a support service for anyone suffering with mental illness in the period around birth.

Ms Fyfe said her group had welcomed mothers, fathers and grandparents.

"You don't have to have a diagnosis to come, that can be a misconception, you can come to us if you just want to be in a non-judgmental space," she said.

"Nothing is insignificant, everything and everyone is as important as everyone else."

'Somebody's got you'

Ms Fyfe said her miscarriages meant she struggled in her following pregnancies.

"The whole experience left me with PTSD so when I got pregnant with my fourth child it was really difficult and the idea of having the baby was really traumatising," she said.

But Ms Fyfe said she received "brilliant" support from a peri-natal midwife, helping her to feel "heard and understood, and held".

"She was good at judging if I wanted to talk or wanted to vent or just wanted to sit and I was really keen to give back that support I had," she added.

When she discovered Pandas, she applied to set up a group and began holding meetings once a month from March.

She said her experiences had taught her how important it is to feel that "somebody's got you".