A new support service has been set up in Co Mayo for young people who are becoming parents for the first time.
The Young Parents Programme (YPP) was established by staff in the antenatal education and social work departments at Mayo General Hospital, who identified a need for a specialised programme of care to meet the specific needs of young parents-to-be.
A dedicated team at Mayo General Hospital is now available to support young women, their partners and family members or carers during and after their pregnancies.
Speaking at the recent launch of the programme, Frances Burke, childbirth educator at Mayo General, pointed out that most of the pregnancies in women under 23 years old were unplanned and many were crisis pregnancies.
"Last year, 175 women in Mayo under age 23 became pregnant and 60 young women availed of the YPP. Through the programme, we aim to identify and meet the social and emotional needs of these women," she said.
A YPP antenatal group is available for women up to the age of 23 and is facilitated by an antenatal educator, social worker and counsellor.
Gina Dermody of the social work department in Mayo explained: "We meet these young women in the early stages of pregnancy and build up a relationship with them. For most, it's an unplanned pregnancy and many are still in school or college, so this poses its own problems. Some find the usual antenatal classes too daunting, so the YPP antenatal sessions enable them to meet other mums-to-be of a similar age, who can understand and relate to what they're going through."
According to hospital manager Tony Canavan: "The Young Parents Programme is vital for young mothers-to-be who come to the hospital looking for understanding and reassurance, as well as practical and antenatal advice."
