A mother who suffered postpartum psychosis nine months after giving birth to her daughter revealed that her little girl was treated.
The single mother, from Leicestershire, began experiencing delusions and paranoia nine months after giving birth to her first baby in August 2022, which she says was the most terrifying experience of her life.
After seeking treatment on the NHS, she was told her baby would be cared for while she received treatment.
But after being released from the hospital, the mother does not have custody of her baby and says she “regrets seeking help.”
The 33-year-old woman revealed that her delusions became so severe that she believed someone was in the house and that she would have to keep checking the rooms to make sure no one was there.
Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental illness that can cause new mothers to experience hallucinations and delusions, and is thought to affect one or two in every 1,000 births.
The woman says she now only sees her baby for two hours every six weeks and “regrets” going to the hospital in the first place.
She said: “My daughter was born at 38 weeks by caesarean section,” she told Femail.
The single mother, from Leicestershire, began experiencing delusions and paranoia nine months after giving birth to her first baby in August 2022, which she says was the most terrifying experience of her life (file image).
‘She was an absolutely beautiful baby.
“The caesarean section did not go as planned because I had adhesions in the uterus and the anesthetist had to intervene.
“I stayed in the hospital for a week. We were absolutely brilliant, until about nine months after giving birth, when the terrifying experience occurred.
‘I suffered delusions, suspicions and paranoia. I remember thinking there was someone in the house.
‘I kept checking the front door, I checked outside the window during the night. I kept checking the rooms and my coordination completely went down very quickly. “It literally wasn’t working.”
A healthcare visitor notified her hospital’s perinatal team and attempted to take the woman and her newborn to a mother and baby unit.
But, he claims, his council placed two people, who were “not experienced psychiatrists”, in his house for 24-hour surveillance, which he found “absolutely shameful”.
The woman revealed that she could no longer take care of herself and that her hair became extremely matted.
He added: “The health visitor got the perinatal team on board, and the perinatal team were desperately trying to get me a bed in a mother and baby unit. “I was worried at this point.
‘My doctor told the council that I was in postpartum psychosis and that they were supposed to get me a bed in a mother and baby unit, but instead they placed people who were not experienced psychiatrists in my home. It was absolutely embarrassing.
‘They just left me and my baby with these people who just watched TV during the day and did laundry. I couldn’t function properly.
“I was having delusions and paranoia and one day I couldn’t even put bread in the toaster and that’s when I got in the car to go to the nearest hospital.”
Desperate for specialist support, she took matters into her own hands and attempted to drive to the nearest hospital with her baby in the car.
The 33-year-old revealed that her delusions became so severe that she believed someone was in the house and that she would have to keep checking the rooms to make sure no one was there (file image).
She explained: ‘One day, during the psychosis, I put my daughter in her car seat and I drove the car to the nearest hospital.
‘I had to drive myself because these people didn’t help me and my friends thought the council would help find a mother and baby unit and they didn’t.
“However, I couldn’t coordinate the gear shift, so I stopped the car and called the police for help as I couldn’t drive.”
The police called an ambulance which took her to a general psychiatric ward at a local hospital.
She stayed there for four weeks while her baby was placed in foster care.
‘It was traumatic. I missed her a lot, I really missed her. I had to stop breastfeeding her too. I felt very guilty,’ he added.
The council asked her to sign a Section 20 Agreement, a voluntary agreement between a local authority and the parents of a child that allows a child to be placed in the care of the local authority, while in hospital, which she did.
The mother was given anti-psychosis medication, but claimed there was “no rehabilitation” after she was sent home.
When she left the hospital, she was admitted to a parental assessment center, where she remained from September 2023 to February 2024.
She said: “I went back into depression and then lost my baby in court on September 6, 2024. They said I posed significant harm and danger to my child.” It has affected my health, losing my hair and just the stress has been horrendous.
‘The assessment center had around 22 staff, very chaotic. No rehabilitation. No support afterwards. “It was brutal.”
She claims she is only allowed to visit her daughter “two hours every six weeks” because she is considered “mentally unstable,” but that hasn’t stopped her fight to regain custody of her little girl.
She added: ‘I have recovered from postpartum psychosis. Just a shock to the system. Now I regret having gone to the hospital, I am very sorry.
‘I’m going downhill slowly, so I need to get up. It’s like mourning a child who is still alive. The only thing I can do is rebuild my life. I’ve spent thousands of dollars trying to get her back.
She stated that the center had a record indicating that she suffered from postpartum depression and not psychosis.
She added: “The council used this information to remove my son from my care and covered up the fact that he had postpartum psychosis.”
The brave new mother hopes to help another woman by sharing her own terrifying experience.
She said: ‘It’s been a traumatic few months. In fact, it made me feel worse. The NHS needs improvement. The NHS needs to improve access to mother and baby units.
‘There are only 19 in England where mothers can be admitted for mental health treatment with their newborns, two in Scotland and one in Wales.
‘A national charity called Action On Postpartum Psychosis (APP) is a huge help in recovery from the illness by connecting you with women who have experienced the same illness. This has been very helpful in my recovery.’
Symptoms of postpartum psychosis usually begin within the first two weeks. Common signs include manic moods, feeling paranoid or scared, acting out of character, confusion, and restlessness.
Little is known about exactly how or what triggers the disease and there is little evidence so far to suggest it may be linked to traumatic childbirth.
According to the NHS, antidepressants may be prescribed to relieve symptoms, as well as antipsychotics and mood stabilizers such as lithium.
Psychological therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can help patients control the way they think and act.
In rare cases, electroconvulsive therapy can help with severe depression or mania. Most women with PP make a full recovery if treated correctly.
A council spokesperson said: “The child was the subject of proceedings before the Family Court and the court will always make decisions in the best interests of the children’s welfare.”
“Supporting people is our number one priority, but as there are restrictions on the information that can be communicated and published about court proceedings before the Family Court, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further.”
A spokesperson for the family services center said: ‘We prioritize the confidentiality of the children and families we serve and, as such, do not comment on individual cases.
‘However, we want to emphasize our commitment to a holistic approach in our work. We carefully assess each child’s care experience and provide independent recommendations to local authorities across the country, always striving to keep families together whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
‘For parents with mental health problems, we work with health services to improve the support we offer.
“For parents experiencing complex or unknown mental health issues, we will always recommend that local authorities seek specialist assessments.”