〇Rice Quinn was a gregarious, vivacious mother of two until midway through her third pregnancy, but she became unusually withdrawn. Her checkup raised her anxiety, but her doctor told her this was normal. When she became manic after giving birth and told her family that she had attempted suicide three times, she was evaluated by a psychiatrist who determined she was not suicidal.
Quinn had postpartum psychosis and had a good recovery, but an inquest earlier this year ruled that her death in late 2018 at Belfast’s Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital was “foreseeable and preventable”. It turned out that there is
Her husband, Ciaran, believes that if the hospital had a dedicated maternal and baby ward, “the hospital culture would have been different,” and that staff would be better equipped with perinatal and postnatal mental health services. would have had more experience in recognizing and dealing with the problems of
“It’s a perfect crime. Northern Ireland There are no mother and baby units – there are various in England, Wales and now Scotland. Why didn’t the women here get that service? Why are they not treated equally? We are governed by the same people, so why don’t they offer the same services? It blows my socks off,” he said.
Number of women who died during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth in the UK rose sharply, compared to Norwegian women, women are three times more likely to die before or after pregnancy. Suicide is her leading cause of death, accounting for 18%, and WHO now warns that the cost of living crisis is exacerbating the picture.
The coroner determined there were multiple missteps in the hospital’s handling of Quinn’s case. She was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, but a psychiatrist pointed out that postpartum psychosis could not be ruled out. was left in
The impact of Oreith’s death on the Quinn family is immeasurable. “The grief completely overwhelmed me and overwhelmed every cell of my body, leaving me unable to function every day,” Ciaran said. Considering how unexpected it was for us, and that my baby daughter was only one day old, I didn’t expect to be back from it.
Swansea native Toni Evans has seen first-hand the impact a mother-baby unit can have. After giving birth to her daughter in 2019, she developed her postpartum depression and psychosis. At the time there were no units in her area, The Beeches, one of the most disadvantaged areas in England, even in Wales as a whole.To receive proper care she needed 180 I had to travel to Derbyshire, miles away. If she hadn’t, she believes, “100% I wouldn’t be here today.
She was fortunate enough to have weekly perinatal mental health appointments, but after the birth of her daughter, she rapidly deteriorated and began having suicidal thoughts.
After a psychiatric evaluation, Evans was placed in a mixed mental health ward at a local hospital. She had a “terrifying” experience as she was separated from her daughter and surrounded by very unwell patients. She said, “I didn’t feel like I belonged there. [my daughter] Sarah and I think we made it worse by separating. “
She was sent to a mother and baby unit in Derbyshire, 180 miles away. She found it “nice” and a more pleasant and comfortable environment.
But the trip far from home was upsetting. It will stick with me forever. “
She stayed there for seven weeks, but said she “would have had a harder time” had it happened during the cost of living crisis. But my husband had to fill up his diesel every time he came in. It was a lot of work to do in seven weeks.Darby let him stay in a hotel, but he himself and my little boy had to be fed, and breakfast, lunch and dinner had to be paid.”
Since then, Evans has campaigned to open a mother-baby unit in Wales, and now has one at Tonna Hospital in Swansea. I hope it will be even more pressure.”
Sarah*, from Glasgow, was fortunate enough to have access to a mother-and-baby unit after suffering suicidal thoughts during her first pregnancy, but she fears the financial situation will take a further toll on her mental health. I’m afraid that I will give birth to my second child.
“I am on benefits because my mental health has been so bad that I have not been able to continue working.I would like to go back to training but I have children and I have no money so I can’t do that.You do this cycle is trapped in, and it’s really harmful,” she says.
She lives with her soon-to-be-four family in a small two-bedroom housing estate in central Glasgow and dreams of a garden where they can play, but can’t afford to rent private property. there is no. She can no longer afford coping mechanisms such as paying bus fares to enjoy green spaces.
“It’s pretty scary how much your mental health can be affected during pregnancy. [first] A daughter was born. The image was in her head that she had accidentally drowned in the bath. It was really bad for her, but it helped that she had someone she felt could talk about it and get support,” she says.
Without that support, she thinks “my life would be over.” , worried about going to the hospital for treatment.
*renamed
