Today is Global Day of Parents - a day proclaimed by the UN to honour parents throughout the world. The birth of a child is a life-changing event. For many mothers, this will be the happiest time of their lives, but this is never the whole story. New mothers can often experience mental health problems before and after birth, cope with the trauma of pregnancy and birth, and struggle with societal expectations of motherhood.

On International Women's Day in March, I presented my second Private Members Bill to Parliament. This bill seeks to enshrine a mother's right to mental health checks into legislation - demanding that all mothers in the UK be given a six-week post-natal mental health check.

Research from the National Childbirth Institute shows that 60% of new mothers feel unable to talk to a health professional about their emotional state.

Research from the National Childbirth Institute shows that 60% of new mothers feel unable to talk to a health professional about their emotional state. Some said they were embarrassed, ashamed, or worried that medical staff would think they couldn't look after their own baby. And 22% of new mothers were never asked about their emotional wellbeing at all.

Since 2004, the six-week baby check has been included as a mandatory requirement in the General Medical Services (GMS) contract. Yet the mother's mental health and wellbeing check was omitted from the contract - despite being advised by NICE guidelines. This has led to a postcode lottery, where some women receive a thorough mental health check while others can find check-ups rushed or even skipped.

With around one in five women experiencing a mental health problem during pregnancy or in the year after birth, it is vital that we ensure mothers are supported. Not only is this important for the future health of the mother, but by ensuring appropriate and early mental health support is provided for mothers the impact of mental illness on babies and young children can be reduced or removed completely.

The wider conversation around parity of esteem argues that without mental health, the physical health of a person suffers.

The Conservative Government has said it is committed to supporting mental health services for people across the country. However, their lack of action calls this claim into doubt - mental health services cannot exist in a vacuum and support must be threaded through our health service.

The Liberal Democrats have long championed improving mental health support. The wider conversation around parity of esteem argues that without mental health, the physical health of a person suffers. This is plainly obvious in the case of a mother and her new-born child.

Motherhood and birth have too long been the remit of myth and common misconception. This Global Day of Parents we need honest conversations with mothers about what they should expect and how they may be feeling. To allow mental health to be side-lined is a dereliction of duty of care to new mothers and their babies.

11,000. Yep, that's 5 digits.

That's how many people have joined the Liberal Democrats since the start of May. 🤯

To put that in perspective, that's enough people to fill:

🔶 Almost 86 double-decker buses 🚌

🔶 Blackpool Tower ballroom - 5 and a half times 💃🏻

🔶 Wimbledon's No.1 Court 🎾

And in fact, by the time you're reading this, it could well be 12,000 - we'd had 600 new signups by lunchtime today alone!

We've been fighting to give you the final say on Brexit for almost 3 years now - and we're winning. More and more people are becoming Lib Dem voters, supporters and members - many for the first time. We are the party of Remain.

There's never been a better time to be a Liberal Democrat - so why not join us too?

Our message is clear - we want to stop Brexit. Every vote, every new supporter, every new member is another step towards that. There's never been a better time to be a Liberal Democrat - so why not join us too?

And if you do, you don't just become part of the biggest, most united Remain party, getting a say on our policy and direction. If you join by 7th June you'll get a vote on choosing who'll succeed Sir Vince Cable as Lib Dem leader. It's a really exciting time to get involved!

Membership starts at just £1 a month and it only takes 5 minutes to get signed up. Become part of the biggest liberal, pro-EU family in the UK. Become a Liberal Democrat today.

1. Lord Heseltine, Tory peer

The former Deputy PM endorsed us in the Sunday Times.

2. Andrew MacKinlay, former Labour MP

Andrew was MP for Thurrock for 18 years and a Labour member for 52. But he endorsed us on Monday, slamming Labour's refusal to oppose this Brexit shambles.

3. Gus O'Donnell, former civil servant

Gus, former head of the civil service and cross-bench peer, wrote for the Times to endorse us. He was very clear - we're the biggest, strongest party of Remain and if you want to stop Brexit you need to vote Lib Dem.

Writing for her blog, Julie said that we're the only party with the infrastructure to send MEPs to Brussels who'll make a difference. She agrees - a vote for the Lib Dems is the most effective way to win a People's Vote.

5. Matthew Parris, former MP and columnist

Speaking on Newsnight, he condemned the Tories' unceremoniously chucking of Michael Heseltine. Then, he endorsed us and urged Remainers to do the same:

6. Michael Cashman, Labour peer

Lord Cashman's endorsement was succinct, so we'll let him do the talking for us:

BONUS: Labour's lead MEP candidate in the South East

We're not sure it was perhaps as deliberate as the ones above, but Labour's lead candidate in the South East had this to say in a hustings - "if you want to stop Brexit, vote with your heart, vote Liberal Democrat"...

Even Labour's own MEP candidates are admitting the truth: if you want to stop Brexit, vote your heart and vote Liberal Democrat this Thursday.
Vote for the strongest party of Remain > http://www.libdems.org.uk/stop-brexit

The trend is clear - people from across the political spectrum are getting behind us. Vote to stop Brexit - vote Lib Dem tomorrow:

Throughout our history, the Liberal Democrats have lead the way on green issues. The 1979 Liberal/SDP manifesto called for a "war on waste and pollution" and highlighted "the need to reserve the natural environment for future generations."

Forty years later, our 2019 European manifesto is no less radical. Just last week, Vince Cable announced our commitment to campaign for an EU-wide ban on fracking.

The Lib Dems know that for real change, we need to work together. Without working with our friends across Europe, we have no chance of effectively tackling our climate crisis.

We're the party that can take on the Brexiteers, the populists, the climate science deniers.

That's why we're fighting to stop Brexit. Without a seat at the table, Britain won't be able to push for the radical, large-scale, progressive change the EU needs to embrace if we're going to properly address this climate emergency.

Alongside the fracking ban, we're calling on the EU to:

• Adopt a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050
• Increase their standards of and investment in energy efficiency
• Implement an EU-wide action plan on deforestation
• Take immediate action to tackle the use of plastics
• So much more… you can read our full manifesto here.

We know it's ambitious. That's why we need the whole EU to pull together - Britain cannot go it alone if we're going to protect our planet for future generations. When we Stop Brexit, we'll remain part of the strongest international team against climate change.

With Lib Dem MEPs in the European Parliament, we'll be able to call for real, meaningful change in EU environmental policy. As well as being the largest Remain party in the country, we're also the party with the strongest record on green issues and solid, radical, evidence-based environmental policy. We're the party that can take on the Brexiteers, the populists, the climate science deniers.