Hospital stay with post natal anxiety - Cork. Can baby stay with mother?

[N4ish]

My sister in Cork is currently suffering from post natal anxiety and has been admitted to hospital. Everything is up in the air at the moment and we're not sure how long she will need to stay there. She is very worried that her young baby won't be allowed to stay with her as there are no dedicated mother and baby mental health units in Ireland. Does anyone have experience of this situation?

Is she admitted to a standard hospital at the moment, or a mental health facility?

I’m sorry OP, it is a big problem which there has been fundraising done for over the last few years especially. There should be mum & baby units and the fact there isn’t makes things so much harder as it cuts mum off from baby and family which can really slow recovery down. Unfortunately I believe it is still the case that if in a general psychiatric unit baby is not allowed to stay with mum.

Just a standard hospital for now. She has the baby with her at the moment but we're not sure how sustainable that is.

If she has been admitted to an Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, then no, there are no Mother and Baby inpatient spaces on the whole Ireland of Ireland. If she has been admitted to a general hospital and she is less than 6 weeks postnatal, she might be admitted to the Maternity Ward with her baby.

Thank you, I agree that it's shocking that there are no dedicated units where mothers can be sure of being able to keep their babies with them while they recover.

There is a Perinatal Mental Health Team in Cork, and they will do their best to manage her as an Outpatient if it is possible. It is on the radar for development of units, but there is nothing as yet. Its a real shame. I hope things settle for you all soon.

Thank you all for the kind messages, much appreciated at a difficult time. We're hoping she can be managed as an outpatient with support from family and avoid being admitted to a psychiatric unit.