Kate Middleton Video Called New Parents To Check On Their Mental Health

Like the rest of the country, members of the royal family have seen major changes to their routines, especially when it comes to their royal duties. But thanks to the wonders of tech, Kate Middleton was able to speak with parents, midwives, and other health experts ahead of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK.

Established and run by the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership, Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week "aims to create wider awareness of maternal mental health and signpost support for parents," as NHS Kingston Hospital writes. Over the past two weeks, the Duchess of Cambridge spoke with midwives, doctors, health visitors, and clinicians at Kingston, alongside parents, about the worries and "maternal anxiety" that COVID-19 has created.

Middleton, who undertook two days of work experience in Kingston's maternity ward last year, learned how Kingston is continuing to provide "the best possible support before, during and after birth" for new parents.

"As organisations, you're playing such a vital role," Middleton said in the video. "Giving key information... you're trusted by the public, [and] in general, therefore the information you provide is lifelines for a lot of people at this time."

The Duchess also surprised new mother Rebecca Attwood while still on the maternity ward. "Having a baby is an extraordinary experience at any time, but having one during lockdown and then having a surprise conversation with the Duchess of Cambridge after two hours' sleep was particularly surreal!" she explained via Kingston Hospital's site.

"The Duchess asked us about having a baby at such an unusual time, and our experience on the maternity ward was that all the midwives made it as normal as possible," Attwood explained. "Apart from the masks, it was exactly the same as when we had our first son Rafe, in 2015. The midwives at Kingston Hospital were amazing on both occasions."