PANDAS are so pleased to announce the sponsorship of our corporate partners, Huggies.

Perinatal mental health has been detrimentally impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. Cancellations to prenatal courses and adjustments to birth plans paired with the social isolation and loneliness during the perinatal period has increased anxiety. The impact has been directly seen by us as a charity. In 2021, we provided support for over 10,000 parents through our free helpline and email support service, the highest number on record. A figure which is unfortunately predicted to increase even further in 2022.

As part of its purpose to help parents across the UK navigate the unknowns of babyhood, Huggies has worked with PANDAS to launch a free, accessible, confidential WhatsApp support service for any parent or carer struggling to cope.

From January 2023, the service will connect parents or carers to a trained PANDAS volunteer by WhatsApping 07903 508334. The service will be available every day from 8am – 10pm via WhatsApp. 

The WhatsApp service seeks to provide solutions for anyone feeling anxious, stressed, lonely, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed.

Stephanie Madrell, Marketing Manager at Huggies, said: “We are proud to be working with The PANDAS Foundation – their mission to support families aligns perfectly with our Huggies purpose of helping parents navigate the unknowns of babyhood. We know parenting is hard, there is no manual and we want to support families through their journey, and working with PANDAS to launch their new WhatsApp service will enable us to do that.”

Sally Bunkham, Communications and Development Manager at PANDAS, said: “We are delighted to be able to launch this service, and know it will help so many. We know that WhatsApp messaging is a medium parents and carers are keen to engage on and delighted that we can now add this to the portfolio of in-house, free, support services we can offer. We are so grateful for the support we’ve received from Huggies, which has allowed us to get this project off the ground. We know that this will help us in our mission to help ensure that no parent or carer feels alone.”

 PANDAS are so delighted to be sponsored by Huggies, and thank them so much for their ongoing support.