Sophia

Age at interview: 36

At the time of interview, Sophia was 36 years old and lived with her 2 children ages 2.5 years and 10 months, and her partner. She started experiencing a depression at the end of her first pregnancy with negative feelings about the future, which would be so unfamiliar and the upcoming responsibilities. After a smooth and short delivery of her baby, she started feeling more and more depressed despite the care and attention she received from her partner. After 10 nights without sleep she went to the hospital in a state of crisis with her mother. She was in the waiting room for 12 hours before being seen and then admitted. During her stay in the hospital, she was diagnosed with postpartum depression. She had difficulties resting in part because women with perinatal mental health issues were in the same ward as other hospital patients with various problems, and the atmosphere was intense. She also had a hard time sleeping with the bright lights and regular rounds. Sophia was only allowed short visits from her family, and she was unable to see her baby for two weeks, making it impossible to continue breastfeeding. Once the medication started to work well, after about 10 days, she was able to go home. Despite these challenging conditions, she described her appreciation for the excellent staff who worked there. After these experiences she felt that her child needed to bond more closely with her, and she felt a lot of guilt. She felt much better however once her daughter was about 5 months old and started interacting with her, enabling her to feel more like a mother. She needed time to start feeling better and care for herself. She had a totally different experience with her second child and feels that her first child was not affected by the experience.

 

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