What does "Cloud in my head" do? (The Warmest Week, Part 2)

After a successful fundraiser during Warmest Week in 2018, an awareness website was launched in August: Cloud in My Head. The website is an initiative of the Ghent Network for Perinatal Mental Health, which brings together various social workers, health professionals and experts by experience. Among others, Child & Family, the Mother-Baby Unit Karus, and moms who have had to deal with postpartum depression are part of the network.

Meanwhile, 'Cloud in my head' is not only a website but also a non-profit organization in formation. This association wants to help improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental problems during pregnancy up to one year after childbirth. This by paying attention to the broader psychosocial context of the mother and by promoting cooperation between different health professionals and institutions.

Where do the pennies for this Warmest Week campaign go?

Cloud in my head wants to ensure that mental problems such as depression, anxiety disorders and psychosis during and after pregnancy are discussed. They do this by informing parents and their environment. So that parents dare to seek help and can count on understanding.

The website includes testimonials, a First Aid for Clouds and also where to go. Maintaining a website always involves costs, even if it runs mainly on volunteers. The website will be expanded with more information and attention will also be paid to psychological problems that can also occur with the father or foster mother. New awareness-raising actions will also be launched, including through Child & Family, maternities and nurseries. In addition, the non-profit organization will also develop training courses for professional caregivers who come into contact with young mothers.

Cloud in my head can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.

We want to encourage young parents with mental health problems and therefore, during this Warmest Week, we choose "Cloud in my head" as a charity. For every accessory sold from December 2 to December 23, 10% of the sales price will go to this non-profit organization. You can also have your order wrapped in the official Warmest Week wrapping paper for € 2 per product, all proceeds of which will go to Cloud in my head.

(Illustration from the book Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman and Molly McIntire)

UPDATE: Founder Friedl's undergraduate thesis on Cloud in my head has been nominated for the Flemish Thesis and can be read here.