Mums Call for Lifelong Listening in Powerful New Animation
By Mental Health Correspondent
The transformational power of listening has been highlighted in a new animation that captures the real voices and mental health experiences of a group of mums and mums-to-be.
Drawing from the award-winning Ways to Wellness Maternal Mental Health Services prototype, the film has been co-created by Open Lab at Newcastle University and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, alongside non-profit design agency Roots and Wings.
It aims to normalise poor maternal mental health and overcome stigma, following national research findings that 70% of mums downplay their mental health needs.
Sessions held at Holme Head House in Cumbria brought together researchers from Open Lab, Newcastle University, and The Happy Mums Foundation. Working with health inequalities charity Ways to Wellness and local community partners, the goal was to gather insights specific to different areas across the region.
Partners included Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), Carlisle and Eden Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), the Woman Up community, and Healthwatch Cumberland.
The result is a powerful new animation, ‘See the Whole of Me’, which uses the women’s own voices to show how a whole-life, community-based approach to maternal listening can positively impact not just individuals, but entire families.
Insights gathered during the sessions also led to the creation of a zine, a blog post, and a detailed report. The report was co-authored by Dr Caroline Claisse, a lecturer in human-computer interaction and interaction design at Open Lab, and Professor Abi Durrant.
Dr Claisse said:
“We found the women that gave so much of themselves and their experience to this project wanted to provide a message of hope for new mums and mums-to-be. But alongside that, they wanted to place great emphasis on the positive impact of listening on maternal mental health—presenting the idea of ‘listening as a safety net’, while highlighting the consequences of not feeling heard or listened to.
“We are immensely proud of what has been achieved in this powerful animation, which is testament to the strength of working in a partnership, with co-production by those with lived experience at its heart.
“To all the mums that took part, we recognise the bravery shown in sharing their story to help us create it, and want to thank them all for their time, vulnerability and care.”
The animation points viewers to a series of resources designed to support parents.
It is now hoped the film will be widely shared—among families, health and care professionals, and anyone wishing to better understand how to support maternal mental health through active listening.
The film was funded by INCLUDE+, a UKRI network exploring inclusive social and digital environments. The wider research was supported by the EPSRC Centre for Digital Citizens.
Watch the full animation on Roots and Wings’ Vimeo channel or Ways to Wellness’ YouTube channel.
