Breathe on BBC Morning Live!

We are honoured to be the expert voice on today’s BBC Morning Live film, speaking with Jess Wright about the powerful impact of group singing for people experiencing postnatal depression and the evidence behind it.

Watch the film here.

Breathe Melodies for Mums

Breathe Melodies for Mums is our group singing programme created to support new mothers during the early months of parenthood.

Based on ground-breaking research by the Royal College of Music and Imperial College London, Breathe Melodies for Mums offers a unique, supportive, and empowering approach, that puts mothers at the heart.

The programme is specially designed to meet the mental health needs of mothers and is not your usual baby group – through relaxed, creative singing sessions, we support mums to strengthen the bond with their babies, improve self-confidence, and meet others going through a similar journey.

There are no nursery rhymes. No auditions. Just dedicated time for mums and their babies, whilst making music that feels good. Participants have told us they leave feeling energised, uplifted, more confident, and more connected – both to their babies and to themselves.

Our research

In October 2025, we were excited to share the groundbreaking findings of our five-year research study with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and University College London, showing the effectiveness of Breathe Melodies for Mums.

The SHAPER (Scaling Health-Arts Programme: Implementation & Effectiveness Research) stud engaged almost 200 mothers (and their babies!) and looked at the impact of our group singing programme on postnatal depression. Breathe Melodies for Mums proved to not only provide immediate effective support for postnatal depression, but a long-lasting reduction in depressive symptoms measured up to six months after engagement.

We believe in the power of research – not just to forward our work but to inform and change on a bigger scale. We’re incredibly proud that the research from our SHAPER research study is making a real difference to community groups across the UK and beyond, driving and benefitting the wider sector.

It’s fantastic to see other organisations working in a similar space being given a national platform to raise awareness too, like Singing Mamas, who share our commitment to supporting maternal mental health and wellbeing.

Building the future of mum’s mental health support

Our programme has been found to be cost effective as well as clinically effective and we know it engages many mothers who wouldn’t otherwise have access to more traditional services and support. This could be a groundbreaking preventative treatment for parents all over the UK.

We are in conversation with MPs, the NHS and other organisations about making this type of treatment a form of standardised healthcare nationally for all people experiencing symptoms of postnatal depression. It could be that group singing could be offered as standard care alongside other treatment options like talking therapy or medication prescribed by your GP.

At the moment, Breathe Melodies for Mums is available across 6 London boroughs, as well as an online programme open to all mothers across the UK, and we are open to everyone experiencing symptoms of postnatal depression. We are now rolling programmes out across Europe and Asia in partnership with the World Health Organisation and have already trained teams in 7 countries.

We will always champion mums’ mental health and we’re equally committed to ensuring dads and other family set ups are seen, supported and included. We have adapted the programme for Dads and although our existing groups are inclusive, we plan to offer targeted groups for LGBTQIA+ parents in the near future. All parents matter, and all deserve access to meaningful, evidence-based wellbeing support.