It’s the middle of the night, my alarm goes off, I’m alone in a hospital room with my two babies. It’s time to feed them and I’d been told that someone would come to help me. I wait ten minutes as I know they’re always busy but I start to feel anxious. My babies are four days old and I have no bond with them yet. We were separated at the birth and they were in the neonatal unit for two days. I couldn’t get to see them on my own as I’d had a C-section and lost a lot of blood so I had to wait for Matteo or someone else to take me down in a wheelchair. My babies are up on the ward now but I’m not breastfeeding, my milk hasn’t come in properly yet and I’ve been struggling to express enough milk so they are having formula top ups. Everything feels wrong, out of my control, I was still supposed to be pregnant. This wasn’t supposed to be happening yet, at least for another couple of weeks.
I go to the desk and am told that no one can help me tonight as they have staff off sick, so I go back to my room. I start to panic as I struggle to get my head around feeding both babies by myself. I feel so alone with such a huge responsibility, overwhelmed and struggling to come to terms with what has happened over the last few days. I’m supposed to be waking the babies up but all I an do is cry. I call Matteo, of course he is fast asleep. I can’t speak for the tears and he assumes something is wrong with one of the babies but I manage to tell him what has happened. He struggles in vain to calm me down and although I feel slightly better having heard his voice I can’t stop the tears.
Startings of PND?
The next thing I remember is crying uncontrollably in the foetal position on my bed and the head midwife coming in to my room. Matteo has called the ward to tell them how distressed I am and to ask that I am helped. I can’t remember her exact words to me but she tells me in so many words that “everyone gets the baby blues but they all have to pull themselves together and get on with it”. She says they will take the babies to feed them so that I can rest but will bring them back to me for the next feed in three hours. She then leaves and the babies are wheeled out the room in their cots.
I feel like a failure as a mother, ridden with guilt that I can’t even feed my children myself, that I don’t love them yet, that I just want to sleep and maybe this will all be a dream and I’ll wake up and still be pregnant.
I didn’t know it then but that was the beginnings of a dark cloud that stayed over me for the next three months, low mood and mild postnatal depression which I managed to slowly clear all by myself with the help and support of family and friends.
Feelings stick with you
Even now six years later, that I’ve come to terms with my experience, I still found it incredibly difficult to write this account. I feel shaky and tearful bringing these emotions back to the surface. Some of the memory is very blurry but the feelings it evokes are so clear, so real, I feel like I’m back there. The way she made me feel and the way she spoke to me. I couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see how much I was struggling, after all her years of experience, why couldn’t she empathise and speak to me the way other staff had done? Baby blues and postnatal depression are not the same thing and asking for help is not sign of weakness. A premature birth can be classed as a traumatic event. Mothers of premature babies are more at risk of developing postnatal depression and research in Australia found that 60% of mothers that had experienced a premature birth went on to develop postnatal depression in the year following that. I needed that caring, almost mothering approach that others had but in her understaffing stress she dismissed my feelings and made me feel worse. She didn’t need to diagnose the fact that it was the startings of a depression, I just needed some kindness but all I felt was her disdain and that is what will remain with me forever.
You can read more about my labour and birth experience with my boys here plus my thoughts on what motherhood at one month really looks like here.
Thank you for reading x
Linking up with #KCACOLS:
I cannot believe you were made to feel this way! How insensitive of the midwife! Thank you so much for your transparency and sharing your story for all the other Mamas (& Dads) out there who find it as difficult.
Kat x
So sorry you have to go through this. That midwife should have been more understanding. My firstborn was born two weeks earlier. I had a meltdown each time I looked at him. He was so tiny! No bigger than our cat! He looked so fragile and I just couldn’t bring myself to carry him or bathe him until a month later when he was a little bigger.
You are so right – baby blues and postnatal depression are not the same thing and help is certainly needed.
#KCACOLS
Thank you, aw bless him, I think most parents are worried they are not holding their baby right xx
I’m truly appalled on your behalf that you were spoken to and treated in such a way. You had just had twins for goodness sake!!! That’s something I can’t even imagine. I was overwhelmed enough with one. Well done for writing this, it is so powerful. #kcacols
Thank you so much ?
I can see why this would have been hard for you to write. This has brought back memories for me from the time around my sons’ births. People’s words can really stay with you. To think how different it could have been if that midwife had just shown a little more compassion xx #KCACOLS
I can totally understand that even now those memories make you feel as awful as they did then. I have huge empathy for what you went through and how you felt. No one tells prepares you for the “what if it’s not all amazing when your baby(ies) arrive” scenario.
So good to hear you resolved it yourself. I did too but I don’t think I’ll ever be the same. If chnages yoir perspective. Or maybe that’s just motherhood as a whole.
Thanks for such an honest post.
#KCACOLS
The time after birth is a very difficult one for a lot of people. kudos to you for having the bravery to tell your story, and perhaps help somebody else know that they aren’t alone #KCACOLS
That experience of being made to feel alone and scared when the person/people that should have been helping you at your most vulnerable is awful. Unfortunately it’s also very common and I have experience of similar which is why I was adamant I wanted a home birth on my 2nd baby which unfortunately was a disaster which could have been preventable. The midwives in my area seem to be a law unto themselves because I’ve heard so many more bad experiences than good and yet they have nobody to account to and thus it continues. And nobody likes to say so because obviously the good midwives are like real life angels. A time when you should have felt supported and cared for was a time you were treated poorly and that is a very difficult thing. Hope you and your babies are doing well now. Thanks for sharing your story. #KCACOLS
I remember having Mia 4 years ago and although she was planned and we were prepared, nothing prepares you for the feelings and emotions that come with a newborn. I’m sorry you had such a tough time and I don’t know about you but I didn’t want to ask for support at that time as I felt like it was admitting I didn’t really know what I was doing! I’m now 4 weeks away from having baby no2 and I have to say, I’m dreading it and I know that’s awful. I just hope I can find the strength this time to ask for help when I need it!
#KCACOLS
This is a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing! I had a very difficult time after #5… I’m only now starting to feel human again!
This is really sad, and horrible that you had to go through it. Hopefully as time goes on you will feel less emotional about it allm those first few months are hard #KCACOLS
WHat a horror, you had to go through! Your sharing will hopefully help the next momma put in this terrible scenario. What beautiful babies you have! A joy! Make memories… and happiestof holidays to you all! xoxo #KCACOLS xoxo
Both of my kids were premature, I remember being so scared. The staff are pushed to the limits and it’s hard for them to give everyone the full care they need. Even, so, seeing you so disstressed I would have expected them to be more sympathetic towards you. x
#KCACOLS
I’m so sorry you had to go through that, how awful the way she spoke to you. Three of my children were in ICU and it was just horrific. #kcacols
This is such a sad and scary experience and it’s shocking that a midwife treated you like this. Aren’t they supposed to look after the welfare of the mother as well as the babies? Or once the babies are born the mother doesn’t matter? Sorry had had this experience. #KCACOLS
This is a sad read & such a shame #KCACOLS
I can’t quite believe you were made to feel this way! I would have thought that midwifes would be alot more understanding and compassionate in relation to new mothers bringing babies into the world…. especially under your circumstances where you didn’t get to see your babies for 2 whole days! Thank you for your sheer honesty and sharing your experience. #KCACOLS
I hated my time on the postnatal ward and I only had one baby to look after each time. I can’t imagine going through this on your own in the night, thank you for sharing such an honest account. #KCACOLS