The hidden gap in postnatal care - and the groups working to close it
Postnatal and maternity care is under real pressure, and new mothers are feeling the impact.
Years of funding strains, workforce shortages and service restructuring have led to reduced home visits from midwives and health visitors, shorter hospital stays, and far less continuity of care.
Many NHS‑run postnatal groups have disappeared, leaving mothers increasingly reliant on peer‑led meet‑ups and charities such as Home‑Start, NCT and CrossReach. The Scottish Perinatal Mental Health Network has warned that specialist postnatal mental health services remain “patchy and under‑resourced,” while the Royal College of Midwives reports staffing levels that are “unsafe and unsustainable.”
Health visitor shortages and the redeployment of infant‑feeding specialists have further stretched support at a time when families need it most, and although breastfeeding rates in Scotland are now at their highest on record, access to skilled, timely support remains uneven. This means the quality of postnatal care depends heavily on where a mother lives, and how much help she can find beyond the NHS.
Across Scotland, many mothers and caregivers are creating vital community spaces where families can connect, feel supported, and know they are not alone. Foundation Scotland has been committed to advancing gender equality since it began, recognising the deep inequalities women face around employment, health, birth and everyday life. Since 2021, the Foundation has helped fill the gaps where support is limited or invisible through distributing over £800,000 in grants to women specific projects and causes.
Bridging one of these gaps, The Pregnancy and Parents Centre has been a lifeline for families in Edinburgh since 1985. Tucked away in the Pleasance, it’s a welcoming space where pregnant women, new parents and carers can find support, community and a friendly face. The Centre offers everything from antenatal and postnatal classes to breastfeeding support, baby‑friendly music sessions, workshops and drop‑ins. There’s even a resource library where families can try out baby equipment, borrow items, or pick up essentials at community sales.
One of the Pregnancy and Parents Centre’s most loved projects is its weekly breastfeeding support group — a free, welcoming space where mothers can talk openly about their feeding experiences, ask questions and support one another. Funded in recent years by the Women’s Fund for Scotland and The Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh Community Grants Fund, the group has stepped in to fill gaps left by statutory NHS services and is now recommended by health visitors across the city. But it’s far more than a place for practical advice. It’s a community.
“Edinburgh is such an international city and many of us mums are from different countries with no family or friends nearby. I don't know what I would have done without the support of these women in the group to guide me through what would otherwise have been a really lonely motherhood.”
For many families, this group is a lifeline; a place to feel understood, connected and supported during one of the most challenging and transformative times in life.
Across the city in Leith is Kin Collective, a Family Wellbeing Hub supporting families locally, as well as parents who travel from across the city to access its services. Kin focuses on supporting physical, mental and emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and early parenthood. This includes a wide range of free, peer-led support programmes, alongside more structured professional and practical support, including antenatal and postnatal classes, courses and workshops, community groups, and therapeutic services.
Through its work with mothers, two key gaps have been consistently highlighted: access to affordable perinatal trauma support, particularly around birth trauma, and limited support for those experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges who may not have a formal diagnosis or meet the threshold for clinical services.
In response, Kin received three year funding from the Volant Charitable Trust enabling them to expand its services. This includes one to one birth trauma support, a six week perinatal mental health support group which runs four times per year facilitated by a perinatal counsellor and psychotherapist, and two postpartum ‘return to running’ annual courses led by postnatal fitness specialists, and six mindfulness-based “Nurture in Nature” sessions supporting participants to develop a practical wellbeing toolkit. These sessions are informed by the recognised links between time spent outdoors, physical recovery in the postnatal period, and improved mental health.
What comes through strongly again here is the sense of connection these spaces create. For many mums’, that village of support which once existed is no longer part of today’s modern family everyday life. This sentence from the quote below really highlights the importance of groups like Kin and what it means to mums’ “when I step through the doors at Kin I feel completely at home".
"I’m not sure I can put into words how important Kin Collective has been for me this past year. I’ve found my community, my friends. I’ve learned from others and shared and opened up myself in very vulnerable times. If I hadn’t of had Kin Collective I would have been far more isolated and probably would have really struggled through some of the very tough times, the sleep deprivation and low points.
Instead I had a place to go and share how I was feeling, in a space where I found it so easy and comfortable to talk, to share, to help each other. I learned I wasn’t the only one, I wasn’t alone, the community at Kin soothed my worries and gave me the strength to keep going, try a new thing, be a good mum. When I step through the doors at Kin I feel completely at home."
"Kin has made a huge difference, connecting me with support and making me feel less alone when I was really struggling at my lowest point postnatally. Now that I’m through that, and able to forward to more positive things, I love meeting other parents at the weekly groups. As someone without any family nearby, Kin is a great community resource to have on hand. Since becoming a mum, I’ve realised just how important community is in protecting maternal mental health."
With postnatal support in Scotland under real strain, community‑led spaces like the Pregnancy and Parents Centre and Kin Collective are not just helpful additions, they are essential lifelines and. Together, they are creating the village that every new family deserves, one welcoming space and one supportive conversation at a time. Their work shows how connection, compassion, and accessible support can transform early parenthood and protect maternal wellbeing when statutory services fall short. Foundation Scotland will continue to support these organisations through our partnerships with other funders and donors across the country to ensure that no mother is left behind.
“Foundation Scotland’s support has been instrumental in helping us reach women facing the challenges of pregnancy and early motherhood, and in supporting perinatal and infant mental health. Their funding has allowed us to grow a community where mothers feel understood, supported, and empowered to care for both them and their babies - helping to give families the best start. With this support, we’ve been able to provide free, welcoming groups that reduce isolation, build confidence, and help mothers feel more connected to themselves, their babies, and their community.”
For more information on the funds mentioned, please visit the following Fund Information Pages:
- The Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh Community Grants Fund
- Women's Fund for Scotland
- Volant Trust