Tim Darcy
My Story
I'm supporting APP because they have been campaigning for more Mother and Baby Units for over 10 years. My family have first hand experience of not being able to access a local Mother and Baby Unit.
In the summer of 2015 when our baby daughter was around 10 weeks old, my wife Jan needed mental health support as she was suffering from post partum psychosis, a rare illness affecting only 1-2 in every 1000 Mothers. There was no bed available at the nearest Mother and Baby Unit in Leeds, so Jan and the baby were taken by ambulance car to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester where Jan was voluntarily admitted to the Andersen Ward, a Mother and Baby Unit.
It was tough to separate our family - we had a six year old boy at home in York without his Mum and new baby sister.
The care available at the MBU and the facilities were excellent, in particular, being able to stay with our baby was important for Jan's recovery. In the MBU we were handed a leaflet about APP and it was the first time we learned that there was a specific charity raising awareness of this devastating illness and campaigning for more MBUs across the country.
Our family was eventually reunited as Jan made a full recovery and was able to return home after six weeks to look after our baby at home. We recognise that we were lucky to have access to a MBU even though it wasn't local. Some new Mothers have to be separated from their babies and enter a psychiatric ward alone. Ten years on and with a healthy family, we would like to give something back to enable help to be made available for other families in a similar situation.
About us
Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) are the national charity supporting and advocating for mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis (PP) - a severe but treatable mental illness that begins in the days and weeks after giving birth and affects 1400 new mums in the UK each year.
APP offers information and peer support, facilitates ground breaking research, raises awareness and campaigns for improved services.
Their life changing, life saving peer support network helps women and families affected by postpartum psychosis feel understood, supported and less isolated.
Find out more at www.app-network.org or follow us @actiononpp on socials.
