Eleanor's Story

Charlotte B shares two stories of becoming unwell with postnatal anxiety and depression after the birth of each of her daughters. She describes how she battled with intrusive thoughts and how the support of the perinatal mental health team and her family and friends helped her to get better.

*Trigger warning* Mention of miscarriage and suicide.

Links to resources:

Mind.org
Perinatal and postnatal mental health - Mind

Royal College of Psychiatrists:
Postnatal depression | Royal College of Psychiatrists (rcpsych.ac.uk)

Association for Perinatal Illness (APNI):
Post Natal Depression - APNI - Association for Post-Natal Illness | Post Natal Depression

Book recommendation:
Good Mums Have Scary Thoughts (A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers) - Karen Kleiman

References:
1. Oates MR, Cox JL, Neema S, Asten P, Glangeaud-Freudenthal N, Figueiredo B, et al. Postnatal depression across countries and cultures: a qualitative study. The British Journal of Psychiatry. Cambridge University Press; 2004;184(S46):s10–s16.
2. Carteret M. Cross-cultural Use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Dimensions of Culture. 2016. [4th September 2023]. Available from: Cross-cultural Use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale | Dimensions of Culture

Music credit (intro/outro): Harmony - Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com

Verity shares her story of becoming unwell with depression during pregnancy, interacting with mental health services and  being diagnosed as autistic. She reflects on what she has learnt about herself and discusses the strengths and challenges of being an autistic mum. Her experiences have inspired her to carry out research and give training to healthcare professionals with the aim of improving the experiences of autistic people accessing mental health services. I learnt a lot from our conversation and I hope you do too!

*Trigger warning* Mention of suicide.

Links to resources:

National Autistic Society:

National Autistic Society (autism.org.uk)

Music credit (intro/outro): Harmony - Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com

This time, the focus is on how perinatal mental illness can affect partners. Robby shares his story of becoming a first-time dad and doing his best to support Eleanor while looking after his own mental health. (You can listen to Eleanor's Story earlier in the series.)

*Trigger warning* Mention of suicide and pregnancy loss.

Links to resources:

Sands:

Sands | Saving babies' lives. Supporting bereaved families.

PaNDAS (Postnatal depression awareness and support):

Online Support Groups – PANDAS Foundation UK

Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP):

support for dads and co-parents (app-network.org)

Proud 2 b Parents (LGBTQIA+):

Proud 2 b Parents

Dad Pad: 

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust have signed up to this fantastic resource which can be accessed by downloading the app via the App Store/Google Play (search "DadPad") and then entering your Lancashire/South Cumbria postcode.


Music credit (intro/outro): Harmony - Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com

Down In The Bumps is back for a second series. In this episode, Eleanor talks about the effect that pregnancy loss had on her mental health and her relationship with her daughter. She shares how she learnt to "slow down" to get better.

*Trigger warning* Mention of suicide, sudden infant death syndrome and pregnancy loss.

Thank you to James for his help producing this episode.

Links to resources:

Birth Trauma Association:

Home - Birth Trauma Association

PTSD, Mind.org:

What is PTSD? - Mind


Music credit (intro/outro): Harmony - Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com

Gemma shares her story of experiencing severe depression during her pregnancy and after the birth of her daughter. She reflects on the kind and compassionate care that helped her to get better, and the negative assumptions she encountered that didn’t. 

*Trigger warning* Mention of suicide attempt.

Links to resources:
Royal College of Psychiatrists:
Postnatal depression | Royal College of Psychiatrists (rcpsych.ac.uk)

Association for Perinatal Illness (APNI):
Post Natal Depression - APNI - Association for Post-Natal Illness | Post Natal Depression

Tommy's:
Depression in pregnancy | Tommy's (tommys.org)

BUMPS:
bumps - best use of medicine in pregnancy (medicinesinpregnancy.org)

Music credit (intro/outro): Harmony - Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com

Charlotte talks about her experience of developing obsessive compulsive disorder during pregnancy, what she learnt about her condition, and why having a diagnosis is important to her. This episode also explores how to have conversations about the use of medication in pregnancy, considers societal and personal expectations of childbirth and motherhood, and encourages healthcare professionals to #dropthejargon.

*Trigger warning* Mention of obsessive thoughts on themes which some may find distressing.

Links to resources:

Royal College of Psychiatrists:
Perinatal OCD | Royal College of Psychiatrists (rcpsych.ac.uk)

Maternal OCD:
Welcome to Maternal OCD

Book recommendation:
Everyday Mindfulness for OCD – Jon Hershfield and Shala Nicely


Music credit (intro/outro): Harmony - Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com   

Music credit (intro/outro): Harmony - Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com