A U.K. mom captured a happy moment with her baby, not knowing that, days later, she would be sectioned.
Jade Lloyd (@jadealloyd) posted a reel on Instagram smiling and playing with her newborn daughter, but, behind the scenes, the 31-year-old was falling apart.
Lloyd told Newsweek that she had struggled mentally after giving birth. At her six-week checkup, she tried to speak out, but her doctor didn’t take any notice.
“It got progressively worse, which then started to turn into suicidal thoughts,” Lloyd said.
After finally receiving a diagnosis of postnatal depression and being prescribed antidepressants, Lloyd felt pressure to appear as if she were improving.
“[I] started putting on a front, although, inside, I was falling apart,” Lloyd said. “I was trying to hold it together until my brain couldn’t handle it anymore, and it turned into psychosis.”
Sleep deprivation, she was later told by clinicians, likely contributed to the onset of acute psychosis. “Over the period of a week, I probably slept a total of 10 hours,” Lloyd added.
Lloyd was sectioned under the U.K.’s Mental Health Act and was admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit—a specialist facility where mothers can receive psychiatric care while staying with their infants.
“Initially, [it] felt like a prison, and, when I was sectioned, it meant I was unable to leave,” Lloyd said.
“My daughter and I were able to stay together, which was vital for my recovery, as I kept thinking I had killed her. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like if I wasn’t able to be with her.”
Despite facing challenges during her stay, Lloyd said that her experience was positive overall, and she praised the staff who worked there.
“They listened, cared for myself and my daughter, and gave me space to heal. I will be forever grateful for them,” she said.
Following her release after a month, Lloyd struggled with depression and found it difficult even to get out of bed.
Given that she wasn’t permitted to drive for three months, Lloyd felt isolated in her small town. Thankfully, friends and family rallied around to help her find a way forward.
“Now I would say I’m in the best place I’ve been,” Lloyd said. “I go back and volunteer [at the Mother and Baby Unit] and do the moms’ nails. It’s healing and rewarding at the same time.”
Lloyd has also built an online platform to raise awareness and support others.
“The response has been positive, and I hope to grow this and go on to do more advocacy work to help better maternal care for mental health,” Lloyd said.
To mothers who might be struggling, Lloyd offered this message: “Whether you’ve just given birth, or you are three years into your motherhood journey, you are doing amazing.
“Even if you’re struggling with your mental health and you’re just scraping by every single day, know that you are enough for your baby, and nothing can change that.
“There is light out there, and if you are in the darkness, there is a way out. It takes time and work, but you’ve got this,” Lloyd said.
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