Mental health illnesses that occur during pregnancy or in the first year following the birth of a child, affect 27% of new and expectant mothers in the UK. Common negative stigmatising perceptions are often what prevent people from speaking out and seeking help. Dr Kate Adlington is an Academic Clinical Fellow at Queen Mary University London and a Higher Trainee in General Adult Psychiatry in the East London NHS Foundation Trust. In this month’s episode, Shakira and Iman talk to Kate about perinatal mental health, the pressures of being a new mother (including feeling lonely and the social detriments of pregnancy), the healthcare inequalities faced by black and ethnic minority women, plus more.

Presented by Shakira Crawford & Iman Issa-Ismail.

Guest: Dr Kate Adlington.

Producer: Shakira Crawford.

Podcast Research: Kyron James.

Project Mentors: Marie Horner & Kaveh Rahnama.

Filmed By: Mike Wornell.

Led By: Dr Rupy Kaur Matharu & Dr Shoba Poduval.

In collaboration with Future Formed and UCL.

Funded by the UCL East Community Engagement Seed Fund 2022/23 and Future Formed.