Parents in Wales with a child under the age of one can now form a support bubble with one other household.

The Welsh Government brought in the change on Saturday, to give more support to families with very young children.

Conservative South Wales West MS Bethan Sayed welcomed the move, saying: “Becoming a new parent during such a period of isolation can be overwhelming, and support from other new parents can be central to wellbeing. As a new parent, I cannot overstate the importance of having this option of support and contact.

“After a year of campaigning, my only disappointment is that it has taken such a long time to provide this lifeline. I thank all the new parents who spoke up during this time.

“We need a 21st century approach to accessing perinatal mental health support, to remove the hurdles of accessing a GP only to be handed a prescription or added to counselling waiting lists.

“Welsh Government must ensure that all new parents with perinatal mental health conditions get the help they need when they need it. We know that we are facing a mental health crisis, the time to act is now, if left untreated, mental illness will continue to have a devastating impact on new families.”