PND

PND is an abbreviation for Post-Natal Depression and is a type of depression which can affect both men and women after they have had a baby. PND occurs in as many as 1 in 7 new mums and 1 in 25 new dads.

After childbirth, it is common for new mums to experience a short period of low mood most likely caused by the changes in hormone levels following childbirth. But when this low mood is prolonged, it’s most likely to be PND.

The symptoms of PND can start any time after childbirth but most commonly appear when the baby is between 4 and 6 months old.

There is a fear for new mums that if they speak out about how the feel to their healthcare visitor, Social Services will be involved and before they know it; their baby will be taken away. This will not happen at all. Reaching out for help means you will receive the help and support you desperately need and deserve.

Your healthcare visitor will be able to talk you through treatment options such as medication, support groups with other parents who have similar experiences, nutrition, CBT and make sure you take some much needed time to look after yourself.

May Blurt Alert

The sun has finally shown itself (just in case any of you are wondering what that strange yellow thing is in the sky...). With the sun comes warmth and you may find you have more energy. It is our favourite time of the year here at Blurt HQ and we've been enjoying the smell of freshly cut grass.

The main benefit of the sun is that it helps us to produce vitamin D. This is an essential nutrient that contributes to healthy, strong bones and helps to control the amount of calcium in the blood. Vitamin D is naturally obtained through exposure to sunlight and from foods such as oily fish, eggs, fortified fat spreads and some fortified breakfast cereals. But it’s difficult to get enough from food alone. Figures show up to a quarter of the population has low levels of vitamin D in their blood (Department of Health). So, in essence, slather yourself in sun cream to prevent skin damage and enjoy the sunshine!

April was a great month for us with the launch of our sparkly new shop. We've been working hard behind the scenes designing products, sourcing suppliers, writing product descriptions and working with LE3 Productions to get it up and running. The current coupon code NEWSHOP, expires at midnight tonight so please take a look and take advantage of the 10% discount the coupon code offers. There's free delivery on all pin badge orders too. We'll be adding more products in the coming months so keep your eyes peeled for those. Have a gander here --> http://www.blurtitout.org/shop

We also filmed the first episode of GPs on the Couch with Dr Mary Embleton, Dr Richard Byng and Dr Clare Hamon. We asked our panel of GPs the questions you submitted through our website. We will be filming another episode so if you haven't already, please do submit your question here --> http://www.blurtitout.org/onthecouch

Blog for Blurt

Share your experiences, thank someone for their support, perhaps something has got your goat or you'd like to express your opinion on something you've read/heard in the media.

If you'd like to guest blog for Blurt, you can find more information here --> http://www.blurtitout.org/blog-for-blurt

It's a shame that in tForFoF

Join our Team

It's that time of year again where we shout-out for people to join our kickass team, as we take on the Oxford Half Marathon, Sunday 13th October. There's plenty of time to train and we'll cheerlead you through the tough bits.

What are you waiting for? Get signed up! --> https://blurtitout.org/run-it-out-oxford/

Read all about it

It's been a bumper month for our blog with some incredible stories being shared. The most read post was by Blurt's Dom, where he wrote about his introduction to depression. It's a piece about supporting those with depression. A good 'un, even if we may say so ourselves.

You can read it here.