Helping new mothers cope with change

Date Published: 23-Oct-2009

A CRISIS pregnancy doesn’t necessarily have to be a teenage one or one outside a relationship – it can be baby number two or three born into a family.

Cura has been helping young women cope with unexpected pregnancies for over thirty years and in recent years they have seen a demand for post natal services. And this week, the Galway Cura Centre, based at Árus de Brún in Newtownsmyth, launched that very service aimed at new mums, be they in their teens or older.

On Wednesday, the National Co-ordinator of Cura, Louise Graham said that the time had come for them to extend their service to address what happened after the babies were born.

Cura offers crisis pregnancy advice, pregnancy testing, postabortion advice and counselling, but up to now those young women were not followed through by Cura volunteers.

Galway is one of three centres, the other two being Kerry and Cork, being rolled out for the pilot project of Cura’s new post natal service aimed at all new mums, not just clients of Cura.

“Many new mothers, be it first, second or third baby, often feel overwhelmed. They expect to be Mother Earth and when they’re not, they sometimes don’t know who to turn to,” said Louise.

“This new service offers a safe and welcoming place where any mother of a new baby can share her concerns and doubts with a trained counsellor. We will also be able to link them to other services as is necessary such as accommodation or offer other practical assistance like form filling.

“It’s not just teenage mothers who can experience a crisis pregnancy. Any pregnancy can be a crisis if circumstances change. Hopefully, too, our new service, with the help of our newly-trained counsellors will raise awareness that there is help at hand.”

She said that simple exhaustion could often lead to post natal difficulties, but that it was important for new mums to know that there was someone there who cared. At the…