The PANDAS Foundation provides help, support and advice to parents with per inatal mental illness which affects up to 20% of new and expectant mums. We are also here to inform and guide family members, carers, friends and employers as to how they can support someone who is suffering.
The PANDAS Foundation offers four different strands of support for parents suffering with perinatal mental illness. Those who are struggling can get in touch via our free helpline, email support service, closed community Facebook group and social media channels. Our social media channels in particular are relied upon by our beneficiaries as a source of motivational and informative content designed to provide support for those suffering with perinatal mental illness.
At the PANDAS Foundation, we also offer support and help from experienced volunteers who can share their personal experiences as well as their knowledge and expertise as trained professionals with experience in the healthcare industry. With the NHS being incredibly stretched, even before COVID-19, PANDAS has been a crucial resource that is recommended to people who are suffering with perinatal mental illness. PANDAS are relied upon by not only NHS Trusts but also by people who are affected with perinatal mental illness by providing a safe community that offers hope and empathy through a team of trained specialists. The support that PANDAS provides is made possible through our key internal team which is directed by a clinical advisory board to ensure that we are always providing the best, most current and accurate information for parents in need of support.
The PANDAS Foundation do not currently receive funding from grants or from the NHS, and are therefore reliant on donations to keep the charity running. Thankfully, with so much positive feedback from support given to parents, people continue to donate which enables us to continue our vital work. PANDAS also rely on corporate partnerships with likeminded brands for donations and funding. Our most recent partnership is with My Expert Midwife, an award-winning skincare brand that supports women through pregnancy, childbirth and being a new mum. My Expert Midwife has recently partnered with the PANDAS Foundation in response to an increased demand for support from consumers due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Recognising PANDAS' urgent need for additional funds, My Expert Midwife has pledged to raise up to £10 000 for the charity over the next 12 months.
The team at My Expert Midwife are committed to tackling the taboos and myths surrounding pregnancy and being a new mum. They believe that every woman should feel comfortable talking about how they feel and have the right support in place so they can feel like themselves again. Their mission is to encourage women to open up about their pregnancy journey and normalise honest conversations about the difficulties they faced along the way, making them the perfect partner for the PANDAS Foundation.
This significant sum will be raised via a UCG-focused social media campaign where My Expert Midwife will be encouraging women to share a photo on social media telling their motherhood story and what helped them to feel like themselves again during pregnancy, birth or motherhood, using the hashtag #MyExpertMidwifeXPandas. For every photo shared, My Expert Midwife will donate £1 to the PANDAS Foundation. As part of this initiative, My Expert Midwife will also donate £1 to the PANDAS Foundation from every sale of their best-selling Mum-to-be collection, which contains a selection of award-winning products developed to relieve the physical symptoms and side effects experienced during pregnancy and childbirth.