As mothers and women,

It's safe to say that we have all come in contact with postnatal depression or anxiety at some stage in our lives be it personally or through someone close. It's a cause we hold close to heart at Franjo's Kitchen and for this reason, we've made the commitment to make an annual contribution to a not-for-profit that is helping women and their families suffering nationally, PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia. 

Perinatal anxiety and depression can be an isolating and scary experience. For over 30 years PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia has helped new and expectant parents across the country to recover from perinatal anxiety and depression, a serious and common illness that affects up to 1 in 5 new or expecting mums and 1 in 10 expecting and new dads.

In the early 1980s, Ann Lanigan and Janet Child were part of those statistics. The women – both suffering from postnatal depression – were introduced to one another by their maternal and child health nurse. For each, the introduction was life-changing: not only did they find comfort and support in each other, they also realised that there were many more parents out there also keen to share their personal experiences and seek support. 

Just five years later, Ann and Janet established PANDA. Today, PANDA has grown into a national not-for-profit organisation that supports new and expecting parents experiencing perinatal depression, anxiety and postnatal psychosis from communities all across Australia.

One of the key reasons many expecting and new parents struggling with perinatal anxiety or depression don’t seek help is because they don’t know what’s happening to them or where they can go for support. PANDA, therefore, runs a number of awareness campaigns across the year to alert the community to the signs of perinatal anxiety, depression and postnatal psychosis, and where to seek support.

PANDA operates Australia’s only National Helpline to support women, men and their families affected by perinatal anxiety and depression.

The Free National Helpline is far more than an information service – it provides ongoing telephone counselling, information and referral for expecting and new parents experiencing mental health challenges. The Helpline team is made up of professional counsellors with backgrounds in psychology, social work, counselling and nursing. The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for anyone struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent, from mild to moderate difficulties and right through to severe mental illness. PANDA’s highly trained and caring counsellors help callers work through their challenges by talking openly and honestly about their thoughts, feelings and experiences.

 

A small donation from each sale of our top selling product each year is donated to PANDA, we will be making our 2017-2018 donation at the end of July and would love your support, see our Choc Chip Lactation Biscuits.