Having a diagnosis of mental illness doesn’t mean you’ll be a bad mother.

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Mentally Interesting

No matter what they tell you, for years.

I’m often too knackered/too busy/too dispirited by the world to blog, so you can often find me on Twitter instead. Here’s a series of tweets I wrote tonight on the topic of mental health and motherhood. Come and find me and say hello.

(Click on the tweet to read the thread)

https://twitter.com/ms_molly_vog/status/888483548797091840

Filed under: Mental health |

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6 Responses

  1. Tracey W, on July 21, 2017 at 11:04 pm said:

    I’m 40 years old, bipolar and have just had (5 weeks ago) my first child. I was told by numerous doctors, shrinks, counsellors, etc that motherhood would probably not be right for me. That pregnancy would make my illness worse, that I wouldn’t be able to take medication, that after I would suffer from extreme moods and even psychosis. So, when I fell pregnant, I was terrified. Luckily I had an amazing midwife from a team that looks afer women with mental health issues and she reassured me that many women with bipolar and on meds have completely normal and happy pregnancies. Unfortunately, I had the pregnancy from hell and my gorgeous boy was born by emergency cesarean, however this had nothing to do with my illness or meds.
    Then while staying in the special care unit with my baby, I had a nap because I was exhausted. The nurse told me that she would take csre of feeding and changing my little one and to get some rest. Later that day I was pulled into a sideroom with 3 medical staff I’d never seen before, only for them to question me about my bipolar and the reason I took a nap. “Would it be a regular thing? Would I often miss my child’s feed? Could my medication make me too tired to care about him? Is there a chance I miget hurt him?”
    I had one bloody nap and missed one feed in 8 days of being there and I was told to by the nurse to do that anyway!! I was fuming! I found out off my midwife after she gave them a right rollicking for treating a new mum so appallingly, that someone had seen the word Bipolar on my notes and just assumed that I wouldn’t be able to cope.
    We’ve now been home for 3 weeks and that little boy is so loved and cared for. Yes I’m tired, yes I want to cry sometimes, but what new mum isn’t like this to start with. I really wish I’d ignored all those who advised me not to have kids. I’ve got him now, but at 40 it makes me wonder what could have been 10, 15 years ago if I’d not been so scared of being a mum with bipolar.

    Reply
  2. ahuelon, on July 22, 2017 at 2:55 am said:

    Some doctors are real idiots. At least that has been my experience. I was a great mom. Was not diagnosed then but clearly was. I hate the myths and stigmas that go with our label.

    Reply
  3. ahuelon, on July 26, 2017 at 4:43 am said:

    I write about my Bipolar journey in 2013-14. Started blogging again this spring. Check out my Bipolar journey and about me in menu below my big picture on my home page at ahuelon.wordpress.com. I welcome comments on.posts and where ever.

    Reply
  4. Nayeem, on December 4, 2017 at 6:33 pm said:

    It is very unfortunate to feel so,,,Motherhood is a god gifted prize!! It would never be affected through any diagnosis….

    Reply

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