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Maternal mental health is often framed through a single question: does postnatal depression affect the baby? And intuitively, this makes sense. It seems obvious that experiencing poor mental health while caring for a newborn could have negative impacts on the baby. But emerging evidence suggests this framing is too narrow. It may not simply be the presence of symptoms after birth that matters, but when they occur - and what they reflect about longer-term vulnerability.

Before a baby can understand a single word, before they can even clearly focus on a face, they already know one sound better than any other: their mother’s voice, with research suggesting that infants learn to recognise this specific sound even before they are born. The maternal voice has a profound impact on the baby, playing a crucial role in their cognitive and emotional development, fostering secure attachment, and providing a sense of safety and comfort.