The Minister responsible for Social Services Lionel Carmant presented this Wednesday a new online platform from the Quebec government aimed at improving the mental health of parents during a press conference held at CHU Sainte-Justine. “ [C’est un] tool for all new parents, to better accompany and support them,” declared the minister.
Posted at 9:12 a.m.
Updated at 12:01 p.m.
The website called Toi, Moi, Bébé will allow mothers and health professionals to consult information on “perinatal mental health”. This self-care program, “confidential and accessible now,” aims to prepare mothers for the psychological challenges of the arrival of a new child in their lives. It is presented in the form of different modules to complete, a bit like an online training program.
“Mental health problems are […] one of the most frequent complications in the perinatal context,” recalled Isabelle Demers, CEO of CHU Sainte-Justine, present at the press conference. However, “most mothers suffering from these issues […] are afraid to go to our services,” admitted his counterpart, CEO of the CIUSS de l’Est-de-l’île-de-Montréal, Jean-François Verreault. You, me, baby will serve as a complement to preventive mental health care and will make information on the subject more accessible and known.
The content of the site was created by a clinical team and another research team from CHU Sainte-Justine, in partnership with a team from the CIUSS de l’Est-de-l’île-de-Montréal. It is an adaptation of a Californian platform.
Marie-Michelle, nurse and mother of three children, tested the site as a user after the birth of her child. Unlike her first pregnancy, where she suffered from postpartum depression, she was able to “ [faire] peace with parenthood and its challenges”, since she had “lots of tools that were there [pour l’aider] “.
