There is this idea that bonding happens right after birth, but for Genna it took some time to develop that connection.
Transcript
Yeah I think so. I mean relationships and bonds grow normally and I think there’s this expectation that people have that as soon as the baby comes out, they put you skin to skin and all of a sudden this overwhelming joy and love for your child that’s this amazing, elating? Elating, is that the right word?
Interviewer: That makes you feel elated?
Elated, yeah. Makes you feel elated. Yeah there’s this wonderful, beautiful connection that happens instantly and that wasn’t the case for me. Perhaps it is the case for some women but for me it took a while to create that bond which I think was one of the reasons I was doubting my abilities as a mother, that I didn’t have this instant connection.
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- Seeking and Finding Reliable Information – GennaGenna suggests increasing education about mental health during perinatal classes to help reduce stigma.
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- Communicating with Health Care Providers – GennaGenna feels her psychosis could have been identified sooner.
- Work, Finances and Mental Health – GennaGenna feels fortunate that her partner received compassionate care unemployment benefits to be home and support her.
- Support from Family and Friends – GennaA crises team came to Genna's house to assess the situation, and her family supported her when she was on a 24-hour watch.
- Managing Personal Challenges with Sleeping and Eating – GennaDuring her psychotic episode Genna developed a sort of algorithm to help her remember her daily tasks, as she often forgot to eat or sleep.
- Stigma and Feeling Judged – Genna (clip 2)All Genna could talk about was her depression and anxiety and she worried that her friends might judge her for it.
- Stigma and Feeling Judged – GennaGenna feels there is a kind of judgement that people struggling with mental health during and after pregnancy do not love their child.