![]() But after giving birth to Nyna, things were never the same. Not just the child,” she adds.įor Nyna Giles’s mother, that question came too late.īefore Giles was born, Carolyn Scott was a model, socialising in high society – she was Grace Kelly’s bridesmaid. “We need to start asking how the mum is doing. The sooner we can get mum well for that essential year of mother/baby bonding, the better.”īuist points out that disorganised attachment can occur and lead to behavioural problems later if the mother’s health isn’t prioritised along with the child’s. “That can be difficult for mum from a psychological point of view, if the baby is preferring grandma. “If separated, the baby will attach to the primary caregiver,” she says. Victoria has six units but New South Wales has none.Īnne Buist, professor of perinatal psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, has run one of those six mother and baby units for 30 years. This piles pressure on women to maintain a close relationship with their child.”Įxperts stress the importance of mother and baby units in hospitals, so they aren’t separated during treatment.Ĭarolyn Scott Reybold, with her daughter Nyna Giles, author of The Bridesmaid’s Daughter.Īustralia is considered a world leader in this area, says Smith, but, even there, treatment can be a postcode lottery. ![]() Jenny Hallam, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Derby, says: “Research suggests adults who had secure attachments as children go on to have healthier relationships and better self worth. Some of this comes down to classic attachment theory. Because I wasn’t around in those early days, I think mum sees Alex as her child sometimes.” Hayes’s mother cared for Alex while she recovered, which led to a strong bond forming between them.įor Hayes, this brings conflicting emotions: “I’m so grateful for her support. They’d never heard of it.” Hayes and her husband, both registered nurses, had not heard of it either, adding to the shock. ![]() “I just needed somebody to say you’ve got a postnatal illness, you will recover. Treatment includes antipsychotic medication, therapy, and, in rare cases, electroconvulsive therapy.Įven less was known 24 years ago when Hayes was alone, trembling and paranoid, without her newborn. It’s such a dangerous illness and, if untreated, the risks are great.” Smith’s charity runs a helpline often called by “distressed dads, not knowing what’s going on or how to cope”. Terri Smith, the chief executive of Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (Panda), says: “It’s disappointing there’s still little known about postpartum psychosis. Sarah Hayes with Alex at his graduation in Swansea in 2017. Some will go on to develop bipolar disorder. This, combined with the taboo of the disorder, has often left women now aged over 50 to deal alone with lifelong feelings of guilt and shame. Today, a ripple of understanding has emerged following a storyline on British soap opera EastEnders that features Stacey Branning and, recently, singer Adele revealing her best friend had it.īut very little is known about the grown-up children of postpartum psychosis mothers and those women who, through their disorder, were either physically or emotionally absent during what experts say is the most crucial bonding time in the child’s life. Once reality sets back in, a deep depression often follows. Delusions of divine superpowers are common. Patients experience manic episodes that cause hallucinations and delusions extremely detached from reality. Experts are divided about what causes it. Fifty per cent of mothers experiencing it will have no history of mental ill-health. It affects one in 600 mothers and is slightly more common with the first born. Hayes was suffering from a severe psychiatric disorder called postpartum psychosis. “I thought the staff were trying to kill me. ![]() We need to start asking how the mum is doing. It was one of the scariest weeks of her life. She was admitted into the general psychiatric ward, and her baby was removed from her. “It was then,” Hayes says, “I knew something was really wrong.”įurther delusions followed. “I said, ‘Take a deep breath, you’re in for a shock’.” Hayes says her mum looked at her, then the TV, then went upstairs to get Hayes’s husband. ![]() She excitedly called up to her mum, who was visiting. It was a news story about a woman who had won the lottery and hadn’t known. When back home, Hayes, now 49, believed she saw herself on TV. In the middle of the night, she would write poems. That lack of sleep lasted six nights straight. ![]()
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