Five Months in a Mother and Baby Mental Health Unit: A Mother’s Story

Sofii Lewis shares her five-month journey in a mother and baby mental health unit after being diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, highlighting the importance of specialist care and raising awareness for new mothers.

Introduction to Sofii's Experience

When Sofii Lewis packed a bag for a mother and baby mental health unit, she expected to be home within two weeks. However, the 27-year-old ended up spending five months there, a period she credits with saving both her and her daughter's lives.

Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and tendencies toward postpartum psychosis after childbirth, Sofii admitted she had "no idea" how severely unwell she was.

"I knew I wasn't safe. But I didn't think I was out of control."

Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious mental illness that typically begins suddenly within days or weeks after birth, affecting approximately one in 1,000 mothers. Although treatable, it can escalate rapidly.

Experts confirm that specialist support for postpartum psychosis is now accessible throughout Wales.

Sofii Lewis A woman smiles at the camera. She has shoulder-length brown hair and glasses on. She wears a yellow checked shirt and black trousers and is sat on a yellow sofa. She hold her baby who is in a Welsh lady outfit. — Sofii Lewis thought she would in the mother and baby mental health unit for two weeks, instead she ended up spending five months there

Early Signs and Symptoms

Following a challenging pregnancy and delivery, Sofii, from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, immediately sensed something was wrong when she was handed her newborn daughter.

"There was nothing. I had no interest, even though I had just given birth to my first child."

In the subsequent days and weeks, she struggled with sleep and was disturbed by a persistent beeping noise in her bedroom at night, which was neither her phone nor the baby monitor.

"I thought it must have been someone trying to buy Evie as my brain had connected that the beeping noise sounded like a till or a checkout. It makes no sense to me now but that felt so real at the time,"

Sofii also noticed increasing irritability whenever her daughter Evie cried, which led her to seek counselling and share her feelings.

"The counsellor told me I might benefit from a mother and baby unit. I didn't know they existed," Sofii said.

According to the NHS, symptoms of postpartum psychosis can vary and change rapidly, including mania, depression, confusion, and hallucinations, and can affect any woman. It typically lasts several weeks or longer and is much less common than postnatal depression and anxiety.

Life in the Mother and Baby Unit

Initially, Sofii feared separation from her partner and imagined the unit would feel like a "prison," causing her to feel "hysterical."

However, she described the unit as more akin to halls of residence, where she lived with other women sharing similar experiences, supported by medication, therapy, and staff assistance in bonding with her baby.

"She [Evie] was 16 weeks and that's the first time I'd done skin-to-skin [contact] with her, and that was a really big moment for me."

Leaving the intensive support of the ward after a prolonged stay was difficult for Sofii, but three years later, she is committed to raising awareness and encouraging other mothers to seek help if needed.

"They aren't alone in this and when you are in it, it does feel like the most isolating thing in the world. You think 'I'll never get back to [being] a normal mum', but you will," she said.

A woman with dark hair wearing a pink jumper sits at a white table, with pink and white flowers in a vase. There's a sage green wall behind her. — Sofii wants to share her experience and help other women who may be struggling, encouraging them to ask for help if they need it

Expert Perspectives on Postpartum Psychosis

Dr Sally Wilson, who works at the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis, shared that the organization saved her life 11 years ago shortly after her daughter's birth.

"In my mind I had died. I was living in an afterlife and being punished for something that happened to my daughter," she said.

"At that point I was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. I was completely detached from reality. It was really scary and I was admitted to a general psychiatric ward and separated from my baby at the time."

Wilson noted that her recovery took a long time, although specialist care has improved since her experience.

"We now have perinatal specialist teams in all the health boards in Wales," she added.

"We have a mother and baby unit in Swansea and there is a unit that's just opened in Chester, which is a collaboration between NHS England and NHS Wales."

Despite progress, Wilson emphasized that significant work remains to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis among expectant parents, the public, and healthcare professionals.

A woman wearing a teal green cardigan with long brown hair looks directly into the camera and smiles. There is a black book case and guitar in the background. — Dr Sally Wilson says support services have improved since her own experience of postpartum psychosis 11 years ago

Professor Arianna Di Florio from Cardiff University highlighted the importance of raising awareness without causing undue anxiety for women.

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

"It's really terrifying but there are treatments that work very well and most women recover with some never getting ill again."

Di Florio acknowledged that outreach efforts are effective but noted the condition remains difficult to detect, especially in women without a history of mental illness.

"I know it's easy for me to say but I think it's a very important message to say that nobody chooses to get postpartum psychosis, it can happen to anyone."