About three months ago there was a tragic road accident in which a young mother and three of her children sadly lost their lives. They lived in a village close to us in Oxfordshire and it was their funeral yesterday. I happened to look out of the window just as their coffins were leaving the undertakers which is just across the way from where we live. It was heartbreaking to see Zoe's coffin being followed by the three little ones each with their names engraved in wood on the sides.
Last night I was reading a few articles about the crash and I found a link to a blog that Zoe used to write. It is called the "Mama Book" and you can find it at www.themamabook.com
The web page is beautifully set up and she has some lovely take out points for young mothers in relation to maintaining optimal mental health. I hope people can benefit from her experience even though her life was tragically cut so short.
Mental health problems occur in new mothers often. The stress incurred and release of hormones can instigate an episode of postnatal depression or in some cases psychosis. There is an excellent Louis Theroux documentary on BBC iPlayer called "My baby, psychosis and me" which is fascinating, very educational and definitely worth checking out.
People need to be informed that these conditions can occur in childbirth so that they have some kind of insight into them if and when they happen.
I have included a clip of an interview with a mother who experienced a post-natal mental health crisis, at the bottom of the page for your interest. This mother also bravely highlights some of the shortcomings in the current mental health system. It is so important that we do all we can to increase awareness and improve the quality of care for future patients across the board in mental health, I really do feel so strongly about it.
Are you a mother? Did you struggle to combine having children with general life goals, jobs and events? How do you manage your mental health while raising children?
I would love to hear from you and start a conversation!
Speak to you soon,
TR
www.dyingtostayalive.com
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