While the UK have 23 mother and baby psychiatric units, Ireland still has yet to establish one unit in the country.

After a 2025 maternal deaths enquiry found that suicide was the leading cause of maternal death, and late maternal deaths in Ireland, calls are still being made for mother and baby psychiatric units to be established in the country.

These units would help facilitate mothers to bring their babies with them as they seek mental health care, which as it stands, isn't an available option.

The discussions of postpartum care have risen in recent weeks after the trial of Lindsay Clancy ended in a mistrial.

Mrs Clancy admitted killing her three young children back in January of 2023 and the defence maintained that she was suffering from a severe postpartum mental health disorder at the time of the killings.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show about the lack of facilities and care women can avail of here in Ireland, Aolish Gormley, founder of Árdú maternal mental health initiative, claimed that Ireland is failing mothers in regards to the lack of mother and baby facilities.

She said: "Sadly we are really failing mothers in that regard. Ireland still currently has no inpatient mother and baby psychiatric unit.

"What that means is that if a mother does need to be admitted for psychiatric care, she has to be separated from her baby.

"The National Maternity Strategy, which was launched in 2016, it has just come to an end now this year and it called for that unit and we keep hearing about that unit and we keep hearing that it's a feasibility study is being carried out.

"But I really think it's not good enough that in 2026, we're still we're still looking at this. Whereas in comparison, the UK have 23 mother and baby units and Ireland still has yet to establish one unit in the country."

From current research, postnatal depression and anxiety often peak six months to one year postpartum, so the checkup mothers get at six weeks is seen as insufficient for looking after a mother.

Árdú recently launched a year of care campaign, which is advocating for comprehensive year-long postnatal support for mothers in Ireland.

Ms Gormley explained: "Postnatal care ends typically at six weeks, which leaves mothers without the mental, physical and emotional support that they need. So this initiative is is looking to bridge those gaps.

"It's calling for increased government funding and improved access to mental health services and extended postnatal checkups and the extension also of maternity leave for up to one year.

"The establishment of community based support networks throughout Ireland really just ensure that every mother has the resources she needs to thrive.

"Women who experience mental health problems in motherhood often have to seek out that treatment for themselves; that's what I hear and that can be very difficult and a very difficult call for a woman to make.

"So they would really benefit from postpartum health care that can support them for longer."

Main image: A mother holding the feet of a new baby