Cassidy Barlow's friends didn't understand when she told them her daughter was born sleeping. or signup to continue reading Health workers and relatives couldn't always find the right words to comfort the 18-year-old after Delylah was stillborn at 24 weeks in 2020. With the Queensland health system in lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Barlow was often alone without any visitors.
Then when she tried to access mental health support, she was turned away due to long waiting lists. "Having a healthy baby is isolating on its own but having a baby where you don't get to bring them home is even more isolating," Ms Barlow told AAP. "No one knows what to do, no one knows what to say or how to comfort you and there isn't always a lot of post-natal support.
" Ms Barlow, who has gone on to have son Kaidyn and daughter Laurelai, is one of many women whose stories informed the launch of a new national perinatal psychology service. The telehealth program run by social enterprise Rural Health Connect is funded by the federal government for four years to support rural, Indigenous, migrant and young women and families after infant loss. Rural Health Connect founder Megan Gomez said the service aims to overcome common barriers to accessing care, like distance, social stigma, long waiting times and high costs.
"There is a really recognised need for change," Ms Gomez told AAP. "Negative experiences have been really common ..
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