AROUND one in five women will experience a mental health problem during pregnancy or in the first year after giving birth. For some, this will be their first time experiencing mental ill-health, for others pregnancy and childbirth can trigger an episode of a pre-existing condition.

Having a child is a huge life event that brings major physical and emotional changes and a great deal of new pressures. All new mums should be able to access the treatment and support they need to cope and give their baby the best possible start in life.

Yet according to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, all but two of the local health boards in Wales have no perinatal mental health teams. Here in the South East, there is no specialist care available for pregnant women and new mums. While there is some support available in Cardiff and Swansea, it still falls short of national standards.

The Labour Welsh Government has said that it hopes to strengthen the perinatal mental health care available in the community across Wales, and this is to be welcomed. I hope that the £20 million increase in mental health spending Plaid Cymru secured as part of our budget deal with Labour will help fund this improvement. New mums who are struggling with their mental health should be able to access the care they need as close to home as possible.

However, for a very small proportion of mothers, their perinatal mental illness is severe enough that they need inpatient treatment. Postpartum Psychosis is a severe form of mental illness that usually begins to affect mothers in the first days and weeks after giving birth. It is a deeply distressing and frightening experience for women who are affected and their families, and often requires hospitalisation.

If a woman does need inpatient care, it is important for her to be able to stay with her child. The Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health warns that separation can interfere with the development of the mother-baby bond. Of course it also causes mothers huge distress to be separated from their child, the last thing a mum who is experiencing a mental health crisis needs. It is best for both mother and baby if they can stay together in a specialist unit.

There are currently no inpatient psychiatric mother and baby units in Wales. The last one was shut in 2013. Women from the South East have to travel across the border to Bristol, or even further afield. This puts enormous strain on them and their families who have to travel great distances to see them. If there are no beds available in an English unit, mother and baby have to be separated.

I believe that we should be providing better mental health care for mothers in Wales, both in the community and for those who need treatment in hospital. The current situation is not good enough, and too many new mums and their babies are being left to struggle without the support they need.