Sophie’s experience of perinatal mental ill health spanned depression, intrusive thoughts, and psychosis — leaving her feeling numb, fearful, and at times unable to trust herself around her baby. As her symptoms intensified and daily functioning became difficult, she required hospital support, and a decision to pursue TMS became a turning point in her recovery.

For the first three months of her daughter’s life, Sarah put on a brave face while anxiety and insomnia quietly intensified behind the scenes. When she could no longer hide the severity of her illness, she finally said, ‘I need serious help’, marking the beginning of her journey towards finding the support she needed.

For over a year, Ariane hid the severity of her symptoms, performing the role of the ‘good’ mother while her mental health deteriorated. When that façade finally fell, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and had to trust her psychiatrist to take the lead — a turning point in her recovery.

When Ariane became a mother, she was confronted by delusions, hallucinations, and severe depression, shaped by a lifelong pull towards perfectionism and control. As a former caseworker and psychologist, her identity both masked and magnified her struggles, delaying her ability to seek help.

During postpartum, Sarah experienced anxiety, OCD, and depression that gradually eroded her sense of self. As her symptoms intensified, she was forced to confront her assumptions about mental health and recovery. Part one follows her journey towards seeking support, including medication and her first admission to a mother-and-baby unit.

After years of infertility, IVF, and complex pregnancies, Emma entered motherhood already carrying a significant emotional load. Antenatal anxiety, birth trauma, and further life stressors compounded her mental health, eventually leading to an admission to a mother-and-baby unit. Emma reflects on her journey towards prioritising her own healing, and how her experience has shaped her advocacy for other mothers.

After a joyful first postpartum experience, Tegan was unprepared for how quickly her mental health unravelled the second time. As her OCD intensified and her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed, she struggled to access the care she needed, until finally she was admitted to a mother-and-baby unit — all thanks to the help of an unlikely stranger.

Rebecca had spent most of her life imagining motherhood — but not the mental breakdown that led to a psychiatric admission just days after her son’s birth. In part two, she reflects on a postpartum experience, shaped by OCD and PTSD, that unfolded in ways she never could have imagined.