We provide emotional support for families and their babies in Lothian.

We’re here to support parents during pregnancy and up to their child’s first birthday. We provide support in the hospital, community or at home depending on the family’s situation and preferences.

We also offer emotional support for families with babies who have received neonatal care at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.

How we help

We match parents with dedicated, trained volunteer befrienders to provide wellbeing support and access to community services.

In addition, our Perinatal Connections app offers a safe, facilitated space for new and expectant mothers to connect with each other and access information and resources whenever they wish.

Our aims

• Improve parents’ mental health and wellbeing
• Support a positive relationship between parents and their baby
• Help parents feel less isolated
• Help parents feel more confident

Tailored support can include

• Building relationships with a Perinatal Co-ordinator and exploring support together
• Help to access local services (e.g. health services, shops, parks)
• Emotional support from a Volunteer Perinatal Befriender (in person, by phone or digitally)
• Befriending to increase social connections
• Secure access to Perinatal Connections app

We are looking for Perinatal Befrienders

Are you a good listener? Can you spare a few hours each week?

We are looking for Perinatal Befrienders to help mums, babies and families living in Forth Valley and in Lothian.  As a trained Perinatal Befriender, you can offer life changing support through listening, building relationships and reducing social isolation and loneliness. This helps improve parents’ mental health and promotes positive parent and infant relationships.

Caring Cafes

Aberlour’s Perinatal Befriending Services run Caring Cafes every fortnight where parents/expectant parents and their babies can connect in a safe space, facilitated by Perinatal Coordinators. Our Caring Cafes are run locally within Forth Valley and East Lothian venues on a drop-in basis and are open to parents who are linked to our services.