Real Postnatal Illness Stories

Below are personal accounts from mums and dads who experienced postnatal illness first hand. A word of warning - people's personal stories of postnatal illness can be very distressing particularly if you are feeling vulnerable yourself, be aware of how they make you feel and only read them if your feeling OK. Back to index of stories.

Petra's story - "I am now 35 years old. I originally come from Austria where I was adopted as a baby. To this date I do not know my real parents. I was brought up in a very restrictive environment and after having finished my studies came to England as an au-pair where I met my future husband.

After traveling back and forwards a lot I decided to come and stay in England for good, got married and a few years later gave birth to our daughter. I had a very good pregnancy and a relatively good birth. My daughter was beautiful and healthy, everything I could have wished for. However, as time went by I started getting anxiety attacks, suffered from severe insomnia, became frightened of going out, meeting people and generally going downhill."

When my daughter was approximately 8 months old things got so bad that my GP admitted me to the QE2 Hospital, Welwyn Garden City, Thumbswood Mum and Baby Unit. I was in hospital for 4 month. It was the most horrific time of my life. There was my beautiful daughter and there I was feeling depressed and suicidal. What was wrong with me?

It took a whole team of doctors and nurses and a lot of different medication to keep me going. My husband visited me every day. He was extremely supportive. It was very hard for him to cope, as with no family support he felt helpless and bitter at the same time. Our relationship was on the rocks. We did, however, manage to struggle through and as time went on and I was getting better we could see light at the end of the tunnel.

When I left Thumbswood 4 months later I was by no means a hundred percent well. There was very little support out there to help me get back into the community and to cope with having a child.

It took me another few months to fully recover. Now, nearly 7 years later, we are a very happy family and my relationship with my husband and my daughter is stronger than ever.

Postnatal Illness is a very individual condition. It affects people in different ways. Typical symptoms are anxiety, insomnia, depression, suicidal feelings and psychotic thoughts. In my case having a child brought out suppressed emotional anxieties related to my adoption.

Looking back on things as I am writing this article I know that I can never forget this horrific experience and yet at the same time having come through it I am a much stronger person now."

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