Number 26 in our countdown of '70 Ways Art Improves Our Health' highlights how mindful textile art can help new mums with postnatal depression...

Last year, a study by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found that 81% of women had experienced a mental health problem during or after their pregnancy. But, shockingly, only 7% of them received the specialist care they needed.

Postnatal depression (PND) is very common, affecting one in eight new mums. It is often confused with the ‘baby blues’. The baby blues are when you feel weepy or irritable during the first week after giving birth. The baby blues is not an illness and it should pass on its own after a few days.

Unlike the baby blues, postnatal depression is an illness that is unlikely to get better without help. Postnatal depression can affect women in different ways but common symptoms include: feeling sad or low, feeling tired all the time, having trouble sleeping, having frightening thoughts and feelings of guilt or hopelessness.

The effects of PND are not just limited to new mums. In a 2011 study, it was found that children of mums with PND are more like to develop anxiety, low self-esteem and depression in later life.

“[the mums] learned the importance of self-compassion and creativity and found a sense of community. Critically, they also learned to accept that it was okay to make mistakes when sewing and being creative and that the same lessons apply to being a mother.”

Treatment for PND normally includes a combination of medication and talking therapies. But last year, clinical psychologist Dr Tamara Russell (King’s College London) and textile artist and psychologist Liz Finegold investigated how mindful textile art could support mothers with postnatal depression.

Weaving a New Story is a collaborative project between King’s College London’s Department of Neuroimaging and Liz Finegold. It is supported by the Cultural Institute at King’s, Cocoon Family Support and the Mindfulness Centre of Excellence.

Working with Cocoon Family Support, a group of mums experiencing moderate to severe PND participated in a 10-week course of mindfulness and textiles. According to the Mindfulness Centre of Excellence: “[the mums] learned the importance of self-compassion and creativity and found a sense of community. Critically, they also learned to accept that it was okay to make mistakes when sewing and being creative and that the same lessons apply to being a mother.”

Two Masters students from King’s College London evaluated the effectiveness of the mindful textile sessions. The data showed that all of the mothers in the group reduced their levels of depression, some quite significantly.

Further evidence is being collected but you can find out more about the project here. And by following @sewmindful on Twitter.

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