Gemma Fyfe, a resident of Longlevens in Gloucester, has taken a significant step in supporting parents dealing with mental health challenges related to childbirth. She recently started Gloucestershire’s first Pandas group. This program is one branch of a national nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting women who encounter mental illness during the peri-natal period.
Fyfe’s project not only establishes that safe and welcoming space for anyone who has contact with children. It provides community, mental health awareness, and advocacy support, and a platform to tell stories. She knows firsthand the emotional damage of miscarriage and an emergency C-section leading to PTSD. As a result, she knows firsthand the impact of being surrounded by an affirming, touchstone community can make.
My own journey has been tough. The entire encounter with PTSD is what it was. When I got pregnant with my fourth, it was just very hard and I felt re-traumatized just by the thought of introducing the baby, Fyfe said. These difficulties spurred her to start asking for help and ultimately helped her find the Pandas charity.
With the help of this peri-natal midwife, who supported her “passionately and gently,” Fyfe was “listened to and understood, and held. Yet this experience proved essential to her healing. Even more than that, she was inspired by that help to pay it forward, starting a support group.
“She was good at judging if I wanted to talk or wanted to vent or just wanted to sit, and I was really keen to give back that support I had,” Fyfe stated. It’s clear she has a passion for helping others, as she opens the floor to everyone—all parents and family members. The group gathers each month, though they’ve welcomed mothers, fathers—and even a grandparent—since launching this past March.
Beyond research, Pandas acts as an essential guide for those experiencing mental health conditions during the difficult perinatal period. Fyfe shares that participation is open to all, even if you don’t have a formal diagnosis.
You don’t need to be a diagnosed autist to attend, which is a common misconception. If what you want is to be in a non-judgmental space, she said. Fyfe believes that everyone’s experience is significant: Nothing is too small, all ideas, people, and backgrounds matter just as much as the next one.
