COPE

13/10/2026

Motherhood is…

Words by Chelsea Maras

10/10/2026

This World Mental Health Day, we’re shining a light on parents in the perinatal period: that’s from conception through the first year after birth.

Becoming a parent is one of the biggest emotional transitions a person can experience, and a time when 1 in 4 mothers and 1 in 10 fathers will face a mental health condition, many without timely or adequate support.

At COPE, we are passionate about supporting all parents through this journey. From the hopeful who are trying to conceive, to the expectant parents carrying joy and anxiety in equal measure, and the new parents adjusting to life and finding a new normal.

COPE is dedicated to supporting every parent by:

💜Empowering and reassuring through evidence-based resources – so no parent navigates this journey without the right information.

💌Delivering free weekly psycho education through our Ready to COPE guide - so every expectant and new parent feels supported and reassured.

🔗 Providing accessible pathways to support for every parent through the COPE Directory - so they can access the help they need.

✔️Free health and wellbeing self-checks to help parents identify symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD after a traumatic birth, and if they may benefit from further information and/or support.

To every organisation, clinician and advocate working in the mental health space: thank you. Every conversation, referral and policy change brings us closer to a system where no one goes without support. ❤️

Find the links to our resources in our bio

09/10/2026

Your experience of parenthood matters 💜

Thank you to those who have registered their interest in being part of COPE’s lived experience community. Every path to parenthood is different, and we’re so grateful you’ve shared yours with us.

By sharing your experiences, you can help other parents feel less alone, and help shape the media, policy and advocacy that influences how families are supported.

You don’t need a formal diagnosis or to have accessed mental health support. Maybe you’ve experienced anxiety or low mood, a difficult birth, stress, body image concerns, loneliness, or a time when you knew you weren’t quite yourself.

We want to hear what helped. And what didn’t. What was missed, what was hard to access, or what you wish had been different is just as valuable.

One person’s story can’t represent every family. But yours can help decisionmakers understand why getting this right matters.

If you would like to be included, it's not too late to register your interest. 🔗https://ap1.hubs.ly/H01qHjx0

08/10/2026

Exactly 🤍

Jasminne Mendez 🙏

03/10/2026

COPE would like to invite you to share your experience of parenthood 💜

Your voice could help another parent feel less alone, contribute to media, policy and advocacy, or help health leaders and decisionmakers better understand what parents and families need.

Experiences take many forms: anxiety or low mood, overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, a difficult or traumatic birth, pregnancy or baby loss, body image concerns, loneliness, or simply a period when you knew you weren't quite yourself. You don't need a formal diagnosis or to have accessed support.

We'd particularly love to hear from people who:
-completed a digital screening tool during pregnancy or after birth, such as iCOPE;
-used Ready to COPE for information and support; or
-used the COPE Directory to find a health professional or service.

Your experience doesn’t need to be one where everything worked. What was missed, what was difficult to access, or what you wish had happened differently can be just as valuable.

You can contribute in many ways, from policy and advocacy to media, events or written content. There's never any obligation to take part, and you stay in control of what you share.

Share your experience: https://ap1.hubs.ly/H01pZsh0

28/09/2026

COPE’s Dr Nicole Highet spoke to 7NEWS Australia about the importance of routine, universal screening when it comes to detecting severe perinatal mental illness.

“It is best practice that we screen and identify people who are at risk of developing mental health problems at this stage. And the most significant risk factor is having a previous mental health history.”

Watch the segment below:

Post-partum psychosis and perinatal mental health conditions require earlier intervention and universal screening to identify at-risk parents, according to mental health experts responding to recent tragic cases in Australia and the United States.

28/09/2026

COPE's Dr Nicole Highet is in Women's Agenda today calling for consistency, national leadership and sustained investment in perinatal mental health.

"Perinatal mental health cannot and should not depend on your postcode, whether you’re accessing public or private maternity care, or whether a particular program or initiative is funded in a particular area at a particular time. We would never consider or accept this when it comes to screening for gestational diabetes – yet this is the case for mental health.

"Early identification and support can change the trajectory of a family’s life.

"We should not need another tragedy to remind us why this matters."

Australia needs to take perinatal mental health seriously before another family reaches breaking point and tragedy strikes.

27/09/2026

Are you an expectant or new parent?

Ready to COPE is designed to support and reassure you through the emotional changes and challenges of pregnancy and the first 12 months of parenthood.

Each edition covers what you might be experiencing at every stage of parenthood, covering topics such as:
• Adjusting to parenthood
• Looking after yourself
• Building your village
• Navigating unsolicited advice
• Managing stress and the work-life juggle
• Bonding with your baby

Ready to COPE also connects parents to mental health self-checks, fact sheets on stress, anxiety and depression, and referral pathways to specialist perinatal mental health support in your local area, if and when you need it.

Sign up to Ready to COPE - free.
🔗 https://www.cope.org.au/ready-to-cope

26/09/2026

“Family life had become like hell, and I was unable to manage.”

If you’ve ever felt this - read on, because you’re not alone. 🤍

It’s called parental burnout, and it’s much more common than you think.

It’s not weakness. It’s not bad parenting. It’s what happens when the demands of caring for young children outpace your ability to recover -physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Parental burnout falls somewhere between stress and depression, but sits in a category all on its own. It can affect both mums and dads.

What it can feel like:
- Detachment from day-to-day life, like you’re just
going through the motions
- Deep exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix - feeling
‘worn out’ all the time
- Finding it hard to enjoy your kids, or show them
affection
- A creeping sense that you’re failing as a parent, even
when you’re not
- Isolation and guilt, because you’re scared of being
judged by others

What can help:
✔️ Addressing sleep, and prioritising rest where you can
✔️ Making time for yourself outside of parenting ✔️Emphasising self-care as a necessity
✔️Seeking practical support from friends and family

If you are struggling, there is help is available. Getting support early may prevent burnout developing into depression.

Remember, the sooner you reach out, the easier it is to turn it around. So, start with your GP or search the COPE Directory to find specialised support near you - 🔗 link is in our bio.

25/09/2026

Right now might be heavy.

It may feel like the fog won’t lift, and you’ll never feel like yourself again.

But remember, healing isn’t always linear.

It can be hard to see when you’re in the thick of it, but with the right support around you, there is always a way through.

You’re not alone 🤍

Beautiful illustration by Words By Catherine Prutton 🙏