Drawing on experiences shared as part of the Maternal Mental Health Services prototype, an animation was co-created by Ways to Wellness, Open Lab at Newcastle University, and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, alongside non-profit design agency Roots and Wings, featuring original artwork by Olga Mashanskaya.

The three-and-a-half-minute film ‘See the Whole of Me’ draws on the words and experiences of women from seldom-heard communities, many of whom often feel excluded from the healthcare system. It aims to highlight, using the women’s own words and voices, the difference it can make, not just on an individual basis, but for whole families, when a whole-life, community-based approach to maternal listening is taken by the professionals caring for them. 

The mums participated in a series of co-creative workshops in Cumbria, led by Open Lab researchers in collaboration with Ways to Wellness and The Happy Mums Foundation, and supported by local VCSE partners, including Cumbria CVS, Carlisle and Eden Maternity, Neonatal Voices Partnership, Woman UP, and Healthwatch Cumberland.