Shelley Browne, a mother who experienced postpartum psychosis, describes the harrowing separation from her baby during her five-week stay in a psychiatric hospital. Unlike Great Britain, where mothers can access mother and baby units, mothers in Northern Ireland are placed in general psychiatric wards, creating feelings of loneliness and imprisonment. Despite support from health ministers for a specialized unit, funding remains a significant hurdle. Each year, around 100 women face similar situations, illustrating the urgent need for tailored mental health care for new mothers in the region.
"I went in voluntarily and it was just the loneliest feeling in the world getting dropped off at a mental health ward with a bag and no baby."
"I was a mother without her child and I felt like a prisoner. She wasn't with me, and I was in a mental facility. And it just broke me every morning."
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