Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Becoming a mother for the first time - wonderful, joyous, the best time of your life!

Or is it?

Amy Wheel, radio producer and mother of three, knows there can be so much more to it than that. She meets Danielle Thomas, a midwife who, following the birth of her daughter, went on to experience postpartum psychosis - a rare but severe form of mental illness that occurs after having a baby, in the first few days to weeks after childbirth. Most women experiencing postpartum psychosis need to be treated with medication and admitted to hospital, but prior to 2021, there was no specialist unit for mothers to go to in Wales, meaning they would often have to travel into England, or be separated from their baby or family.

We hear from Mark Williams, one of those who led a campaign to bring a designated mother and baby unit to Wales. Amy meets Dr Jo Noblett, the Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist for the Swansea Bay's Uned Gobaith ('Unit of Hope') which opened in April 2021; the only inpatient unit of its kind in Wales.

Though postpartum psychosis can come ‘out of the blue’, with the right support families can recover completely, and Amy speaks to Barbara Cunningham, who having experienced this condition twice, has managed not only to recover, but also to make great use of her experience through her peer support work. Hope is everything.

Presented and produced by Amy Wheel
An Overcoat Media production

For details of organisations which offer advice and support with pregnancy related issues, go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline

Image from Uned Gobaith, by Kerry Lemon