Specially designed singing classes are clinically effective at treating mums with postnatal depression, a major three-year study has found. The authors say they could also be cost effective for the NHS at a time when mental health services are under pressure.
At a children's centre in a housing estate in south London a group of 12 young mums sit in a circle on the floor as their babies cry, crawl and sleep on mats in front of them.
But at this music class there are no bells or tambourines and no Wheels on the Bus or Baby Shark.
Instead, the group work through a mix of lullabies, folk and gospel, switching from Spanish to Congolese to Swahili in rounds of four-part harmonies.
The whole session, from the music selection, to the size of the group, to the set up of the room itself, has been carefully designed to treat the symptoms of postnatal depression.
"I can't stress enough how much this was a game changer for me," says Holly, 30, who started the course earlier this year after it was recommended by her care coordinator.
She says she started feeling unwell in her pregnancy after "my hormones, or something, went a bit wrong".
While those symptoms did start to improve after giving birth to her daughter Ettie, she still felt "vulnerable and very anxious".
