MUMMA launched for Peterborough mums from diverse backgrounds

Faiza Rehman founded the Raham Project in 2020 to support families from diverse backgrounds

Expectant mothers are being encouraged to use a free support service for black, Asian and mixed ethnicity women.

Mothers United for Maternity and Mental Health Action (MUMMA) has been set up in Peterborough.

Nationally, preterm births and miscarriages are higher for black women, and the service aims to find a solution on a local level.

A midwife told the BBC she had witnessed disparities towards diverse communities.

Mother-of-two Faiza Rehman founded the Raham Project in 2020 to support families from diverse backgrounds.

In her job she noticed "barriers" impacting communities and wanted to raise "these seldom heard voices".

"I created the project off the back of my own experiences as an ethnic minority midwife and from working with minority families," she said.

"When I became a mother and experienced maternity care myself, I knew I had to do something."

The Raham Project has partnered with UK children's charity Barnardo's and CPSL Mind - a mental health charity that promotes positive health across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and south Lincolnshire.

Through the partnership, MUMMA was created to offer practical help, emotional support and candid advice for mothers-to-be and parents.

MUMMA will offer breastfeeding support, antenatal classes, storytelling sessions and ongoing mental health support

Ms Rehman said: "The first barrier people face can be a lack of education.

"Making evidenced-based choices with care providers they trust and have a relationship with is very important.

"MUMMA has brought specialists from every service together to wrap around the person having a baby and create a village of support.

"We are looking to recruit more mums to our free sessions, run by experienced midwives."

MUMMA will offer breastfeeding support, tailored antenatal classes and ongoing mental health support.

Lisa Gibson, deputy head of services at CPSL Mind, said: "When becoming a parent there's a huge focus on the physical health of mum and baby, but it's vital that mental health is not overlooked.

"Mental health is individual and unique to every person, and so their needs will vary greatly."

Rukshana Kapasi, Barnardo's director of health, said: "Sadly, we know all too well how black mothers struggle to get antenatal and maternity care which respects and supports their own cultural views, wishes and nuances.

"This can lead to poor mental and physical health for them and also their young children in such formative years of their lives.

"We hope that MUMMA can provide an apt solution through specialist, considerate and culturally sensitive care, which puts the true needs of such families at the heart of all that is on offer."

MUMMA can be accessed via a referral from a midwife or by registering interest on the Barnardo's website.

The service will run from East Child and Family Centre on 21 Durham Road in Peterborough.