Tara

Age at interview: 36

Tara is a 36-year-old woman who lives with her husband and child who was 12 months at the time of the interview. As a teenager she had anorexia, and she has lived with chronic back pain since her early 20s.

Tara’s anxiety began when she and her partner were trying to get pregnant and faced fertility issues. She felt that she was unable to fulfill a female role of being a mother. While they were exploring options, she became pregnant naturally and this was also when the COVID-19 pandemic started. She worked in a long-term care home and felt worried about the risk of  passing COVID along to the people living in the home. The resulting isolation made the pregnancy period challenging for her. She also feared the pain of the delivery due to backpain issues she has had since she was young, in addition to being fearful of her changing body due to experiences with anorexia in the past. Unfortunately, the delivery was difficult and she struggled with breastfeeding. All these factors contributed to her feeling even more inadequate as a woman and mother. She missed the support from her family who lived out of province and whom she could not visit due to travel restrictions. She also missed how she was able to relate to her husband before the baby was born. Fortunately, Tara was well informed by the gynecologist-obstetrician of how postpartum depression may linger after the baby blues. Tara really appreciated that her doctor invited her to call anytime if she needed to talk to her. Tara did not yet feel ready to start taking medication when they were offered by her family doctor. However, a month later she started to think that she no longer wanted to live and decided to start the medication. It was a big step for her as it felt like a weakness, and she did not want to become dependent. Fortunately, she started to feel much better with the medication and did not dread the usual day-to-day things as much anymore. She has found it really helpful to spend time with others going through the same things and to learn that she is not alone.

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More content

• Advice for Policymakers – Tara (clip 2)
  Tara says that formal systems need to take the lead.
• Advice for Policymakers – Tara
  Tara advises that policymakers look at rates of women who die by suicide after birth.
• Coping with Perinatal Mental Health – Tara
  Tara was intentional about planning social contacts to avoid feeling alone.
• Medication and Treatment Approaches – Tara
  Tara's doctor helped her overcome her own negative ideas about taking medication.
• Seeking and Finding Reliable Information – Tara
  Finding information through health care professionals and people with similar experiences were the best strategies for Tara.
• Gaps in Health Care System – Tara (clip 2)
  Tara feels lack of support services spirals into bigger problems.
• Gaps in Health Care System – Tara
  There are not enough professional resources in Tara's region.
• Before and During Pregnancy – Tara
  Tara cried a lot right before giving birth as she was facing fears around her changing relationship, weight changes and the delivery.