Susan

Age at interview: 31

At the time of interview, Susan was 31. She is married and lives with her husband and 7-month-old daughter. She describes herself as someone who is very career-oriented and so suffered a major set-back when she lost her job at four months pregnant. She continued to feel down throughout her pregnancy but decided not to use medications for fear of harming her unborn baby. Her labour was induced given very high blood pressure 3-4 weeks before her due date, and despite a relatively easy birth, she went quickly into a postnatal depression compounded by great difficulty with breastfeeding which she finally gave up after three weeks, with a lot of feelings of guilt. She felt very alone, cried all the time, and just pretended to be happy for her husband, friends and family. After a particularly dark and scary period, a friend and then a midwife suggested that she get help for what was likely postnatal depression – something she hadn’t heard of before. She then started on medication, got help with counselling, had a community-based nurse visit her weekly, and she joined a postpartum depression support group. She credits the girls in that group for saving her life several times! A friend also suggested that she consider going back to work, and she did go back one day per week which, as she said, has helped boost her confidence.

Susan wishes that she had known (before and during her pregnancy) a lot more about postpartum depression – there should be greater public awareness and healthcare professionals should talk about it more with their patients, so they have resources when needed at their fingertips. She feels that with the support she has now, that she is about halfway back to where she was before this all started. What has been especially helpful in her recovery includes keeping a daily diary of victories (big or small), the counselling she has received, the support group to help her understand herself more, and looking for the positive aspects of this experience – such as bringing her closer to her parents and her brother. She is hoping to give back to her community and help other women in similar circumstances one day by offering to co-lead another local support group with a healthcare professional.  

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• Advice for Health Care Providers – Susan (clip 2)
  Offer support, reassurance and recognize that one approach does not fit all, advises Susan.
• Advice for Health Care Providers – Susan
  Susan would like to see greater awareness of PPD and more support for women.
• Sharing Experiences – Susan (clip 2)
  A key moment for Susan was when someone reached out to support her; now she is doing the same for others.
• Sharing Experiences – Susan
  Knowing that she could reach out to the women in the support group anytime without being judged saved Susan many times.
• Coping with Perinatal Mental Health – Susan
  Susan reached out to family when dark thoughts became too much.
• Seeking and Finding Reliable Information – Susan
  Susan didn't know anything about postpartum depression before experiencing it herself; having information in advance would have been helpful.
• Seeking Help and Getting Diagnosis – Susan
  If this happened again, Susan would ask for help sooner.
• Work, Finances and Mental Health – Susan (clip 2)
  Susan feels guilty about accepting a new job and keeps overthinking what might happen to her child.
• Work, Finances and Mental Health – Susan
  Four months pregnant and recently fired, Susan sat at home, terrified of what the future held.
• Relationships – Susan
  When Susan went to see the doctor about her suicidal thoughts, she brought her brother who then got really worried.