Sometimes, the bond needed a little encouragement, and Hope believes that cuddling and skin-to-skin contact can strengthen that connection with the baby.

Written testimony

Poorly. I think they know something is wrong and that also affects the breastfeeding relationship, yeah. And it’s an impossible situation, it’s just a situation that needs to be helped and remedied and nurtured by a bunch of different health professionals. Like in the old days, and a long time ago I am sure that certain PPD things happened, but you would have wet nurses and have these women there to encourage the relationship. The relationship needs to be encouraged, otherwise you distance yourself from, it’s very easy if you don’t love your baby to distance yourself from your baby, so the relationship really needs to be encouraged. And I think that there’s a lot of like, you know, when it comes to parenting and people are so sensitive.

But I really believe that if you kind of spend a lot of time skin to skin with your baby and breastfeeding your baby and smelling your baby and nuzzling your baby and kissing your baby and touching your baby and really, really physical; it’s very sensual; it’s good for the baby. But I think they can tell, you know, you can tell when somebody touches you and it’s a bit empty and, but it’s better than not being touched. Because it would be very easy just to swaddle your baby and to leave them and to like – and I did. I did; I look back and I see, even in my own mothering where I was so attentive as to like, oh natural type of biological mothering, I did not offer the breast enough. Because I felt like the breastfeeding was, I didn’t feel well with the breastfeeding, breastfeeding can feel well, you know, even though it’s challenging, it can feel well and I know that.

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More content

• Seeking Help and Getting Diagnosis – Hope
  The intrusive thoughts made Hope scared to ask for help as she feared her baby might be taken away.
• Work, Finances and Mental Health – Hope
  Although it was financially challenging Hope extended her maternity leave because she felt she missed out on the first three months with her child.
• Relationships – Hope
  When Hope shared her worries with her husband that he might hurt the children, he accompanied her to find help.
• Support from Family and Friends – Hope
  Hope is thankful for having a supportive husband.
• Bonding – Hope
  Sometimes, the bond needed a little encouragement, and Hope believes that cuddling and skin-to-skin contact can strengthen that connection with the baby.
• Bonding – Hope
  With her second baby, Hope didn't feel an immediate explosion of joy after birth, and a few hours later, she experienced her first intrusive thought.
• Coping with Feeding – Hope
  Continuing breastfeeding, despite the challenges, helped Hope move past the postpartum period.
• Symptoms – Hope
  It was a huge relief for Hope when her doctor reassured her that intrusive thoughts can be normal and are treatable.
• Birth Experience and Mental Health – Hope
  After a good birth experience, Hope didn't feel the explosion of phenomenal joy she had expected.
• Before and During Pregnancy – Hope
  The first fear Hope experienced when she heard she was pregnant was that she then had to get off her medications.