Alice
Age at interview: 37
Alice is 37 years old and lives with her partner and child, who was 4 years old at the time of the interview. She had chronic fatigue syndrome before she got pregnant. During her pregnancy, she worried about how she would be able to take care of her child in her condition. Halfway through the pregnancy, she started having dark thoughts and felt incapable of taking care of herself. She called a birthing centre and was referred to a psychiatric hospital, where she received good care. She had, however, previously reached out to different institutions and was unable to find help and supportive care. She was surprised to learn that different healthcare institutions do not communicate well with each other and that her file was not shared between her different healthcare providers and institutions. During the first two years Alice received excellent support from the midwives, who helped to find resources for women with chronic fatigue syndrome. She formed a tight team together with her husband and felt that she was able to take good care of her daughter and continue breastfeeding, even through the night. In addition, she has learned to manage her own condition by finding relevant information and seeking alternative care. In the healthcare institutions she dealt with, she feels that there is a lack of protocols for people with chronic fatigue syndrome. She feels that her condition is not always acknowledged by healthcare professionals and medical institutions.