Learning from experience: plans for our new Mother and Baby Unit

Blogger Eve was cared for at our Mother and Baby Unit, after the birth of her son. She now campaigns to improve access to mother and baby units, and is advising EastEnders on Stacey Branning’s postpartum psychosis storyline. We are creating a brand new site for children, young people and families, so we asked Eve about our plans.

Eve's thoughts on the new unit

I was in the QMC Mother and Baby Unit when I was unwell after the birth of my son. I was at rock bottom and thought my only chance of ridding myself of my despair was by not being alive anymore. But it turned out that wasn’t right; there was another way, and that was by being admitted to the unit.

Eve and Joe, three weeks before Eve was admitted to the Mother and Baby Unit

As a Mum, I needed to be somewhere that was safe, calm, homely and purposeful. And that is what the unit is and needs to remain in its new guise– a warm place with friendly faces with a knowledge of how to get you better. There is no better evidence base than lived experience and I am delighted that former patients have been spoken to with no subject being off limits when discussing improvement options for the new unit.


It’s great that planning has focused on using the outside conservation area. As my confidence with my baby grew, I wanted to take walks with him in a sling. I would have loved to have been able to do this in a place connected to the unit - I still needed to be in the safety bubble it provided, but I also needed to be outside in the air, the real world, and enjoy walking around with the trees, hearing the birds, like mums who weren’t in units were able to.

I would have loved the opportunity to do baby massage or rhyme time. When a mum enters the unit, she isn’t well and may not be able to participate in such activities but, as she recovers, these are the kind of things that can help with bonding with her baby. I found I left the unit with a clear mind and most importantly, alive, but I wasn’t prepared on how to live day to day with my baby without the help and support of the nurses. A gentle introduction to these things – maybe by inviting staff from Children’s Centres in to take a class such as Rhyme Time – would have been lovely.

Eve, with Joe and husband John after they returned home

And then, there needs to be constant access to alternative therapies. A day in the unit can seem long and, if you’re there for an extended period, this can become exhausting. Space in the new unit – a designated creative corner maybe, where mums could do pottery, a space for colouring books or similar – could be good, as an outlet for women wanting to express themselves through creativity. Art therapy can provide the mind with a much-needed calm after it’s been through a storm.

The unit should stay small in size as that’s its beauty. More than eight bedrooms would mean it would lose its intimacy and its homely feel which is what makes it so unique and such a lovely environment to recover in. I know one unit in the UK has pull out beds for partners and I would have loved it if my husband could have stayed sometimes. Seeing him leave at night made me so sad, sad that he was without Joe and I at night. But I know there may be safety issues around this which may not make it feasible.

My experience in the unit was overwhelmingly positive and any changes made must compliment everything that currently exists. To recover with your baby means you need to be able to experience something like the life outside whilst you’re in there, so when you leave you don’t feel so overwhelmed. Anything that can be done which allows mums to enjoy activities with their babies while in the unit is a positive change.

Get Involved in our naming competition! We’d love to hear your suggestions for names of the new buildings and site as a whole. 

Visit: www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/cyperi for more information.