I Spent Five Months In A Mother And Baby Mental Health Unit - Here's What I Want Mums To Know

When Sofii Lewis packed a container for a mother and babe intelligence wellness unit, she thought she would beryllium location wrong a fortnight.

Instead, nan 27-year-old spent 5 months location - clip she said saved her and her daughter's lives.

Diagnosed pinch OCD and postpartum psychosis tendencies aft giving birth, Sofii said she had "no idea" really unwell she was.

"I knew I wasn't safe. But I didn't deliberation I was retired of control."

Postpartum psychosis is simply a uncommon but terrible intelligence unwellness that originates abruptly successful nan days aliases week aft birth, affecting astir 1 successful 1,000 mothers. It is treatable but tin escalate quickly.

Experts opportunity master support for postpartum psychosis is now disposable crossed Wales.

After a difficult gestation and birth, Sofii, from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said she knew instantly thing was not rather correct erstwhile she was handed her newborn daughter.

"There was nothing. I had nary interest, moreover though I had conscionable fixed commencement to my first child."

In nan days and weeks after, she struggled to slumber and was plagued by a beeping sound successful her chamber astatine night, that was neither her telephone nor nan babe monitor.

"I thought it must person been personification trying to bargain Evie arsenic my encephalon had connected that nan beeping sound sounded for illustration a till aliases a checkout.

"It makes nary consciousness to maine now but that felt truthful existent astatine nan time," she said.

Sofii said she recovered herself getting angry each clip Evie cried, truthful she visited a counsellor and explained her feelings.

The counsellor told her she mightiness use from a mother and babe unit.

"I didn't cognize they existed," Sofii said.

According to nan NHS, symptoms of postpartum psychosis alteration and tin alteration rapidly, including mania, depression, disorder and hallucinations - and tin hap to immoderate woman.

It tin past respective weeks aliases longer and is overmuch little communal than postnatal slump and anxiety.

Sofii said she was fearful astir being separated from her partner and thought it would beryllium for illustration a "prison", initially emotion "hysterical".

However, she said nan portion was overmuch much for illustration halls of residence, surviving pinch different women pinch shared experiences, alongside medication, therapy and unit helping her enslaved pinch her baby.

"She [Evie] was 16 weeks and that's nan first clip I'd done skin-to-skin [contact] pinch her, and that was a really large infinitesimal for me."

Sofii said leaving nan aggravated support of nan ward aft a agelong enactment was difficult but 3 years connected she now wants to thief different mums by raising consciousness and encouraging others to inquire for thief if they request it.

"They aren't unsocial successful this and erstwhile you are successful it, it does consciousness for illustration nan astir isolating point successful nan world.

"You deliberation 'I'll ne'er get backmost to [being] a normal mum', but you will," she said.

Dr Sally Wilson useful astatine Action connected Postpartum Psychosis, a kindness she said saved her life 11 years agone almost instantly aft nan commencement of her daughter.

"In my mind I had died. I was surviving successful an afterlife and being punished for thing that happened to my daughter," she said.

"At that constituent I was diagnosed pinch postpartum psychosis.

"I was wholly detached from reality. It was really scary and I was admitted to a wide psychiatric ward and separated from my babe astatine nan time."

Wilson said it took her "a agelong clip to recover" though master attraction had improved since her experience.

"We now person perinatal master teams successful each nan wellness boards successful Wales," she added.

"We person a mother and babe portion successful Swansea and location is simply a portion that's conscionable opened successful Chester, which is simply a collaboration betwixt NHS England and NHS Wales."

Wilson said location was still "plenty of activity to beryllium done" to raise consciousness of nan information pinch expectant parents, nan public, arsenic good arsenic healthcare professionals.

Prof Arianna Di Florio from Cardiff University said it was important to raise consciousness of nan information without creating worry aliases interest for women.

"While it is very rare, it's besides very treatable," she said.

"It's really terrifying but location are treatments that activity very good and astir women retrieve pinch immoderate ne'er getting sick again.

"The prognosis is very good."

Di Florio said that tons of things for illustration outreach were being done well, but it remained a difficult information to detect, particularly erstwhile location is nary history of intelligence illness.

"I cognize it's easy for maine to opportunity but I deliberation it's a very important connection to opportunity that cipher chooses to get postpartum psychosis, it tin hap to anyone."

If you've been affected by nan issues successful this story, thief and support is disposable via BBC Action Line.