Action on Postpartum Psychosis | The national charity for mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis

12 August 2024

Matt's on a Mission for APP!

This year, Matt, a dad of two from Fleetwood in Lancashire, has been on a mission to get fit at the same time as raising funds and awareness for APP.

He set himself the challenge of taking on a half marathon AND a triathlon before the end of September, and has been building up to these with lots of running, swimming and cycling throughout the year. Here Matt explains what he's doing and why he decided to take on this epic challenge:

'At the beginning of the year, I started a health and fitness journey to help myself and my wellbeing. I am now really enjoying this with many challenges already complete and more to come:

4 x 10k runs complete
A half marathon coming up on 25th August (my first ever)
A sprint triathlon made up of 400m swim, 20km bike and a 5K run (my first ever) on 22nd September
I am now toying with the idea of a marathon in 2025!!!

I thought that this would also be an ideal opportunity to help raise some funds and awareness for a charity. After doing some research it was a no brainer! APP was the charity I chose with it being a charity that me and my family can relate to having being personally affected by this illness.

Watching my then partner, now wife, go through postpartum psychosis was really tough. What was supposed to be a happy and exciting time in our lives adding a second child to our already perfect family, turned out a very difficult and testing period for my wife (especially) and I.

When this illness hit, I was not aware what it was, or how this was caused and we had to contact our local midwife team, who then explained in what my wife was experiencing and how it can be helped/treated. We were then referred to our local mental health crisis team who started to diagnose and treat my wife.

This was a long process for us all but the support for my wife at this time was vital. Taking extended time periods off work and changing our short-term living arrangements amongst other changes really helped with the recovery.

It also really helped that we have a very strong and supportive family network around us.

Any funds and awareness I can raise is a massive help – even if I tell just one person about this illness, I feel like this could make a big difference.

I have had a dedicated race top made where local businesses got involved, buying a ‘sponsor’ space for a fee that went straight to my donations page. I am trying everything to get the donations in and counting on the generosity of my community to help.'

You can follow Matt's journey via his instagram page @mattymeck_fitnessjourney, and you can add your support for his mission here.

Matt - you are an inspiration! We can't wait to hear how your first ever half marathon and triathlon go - thank you so much for sharing your journey with us and for your support for APP.

1 August 2024

Sarah's ToughMudder for APP

APP supporter Sarah Pujol is taking on the gruelling Tough Mudder South West obstacle course to help raise funds for APP and awareness of postpartum psychosis (PP).

Sarah has chosen to take on this challenge to mark three years to the day that she became unwell with PP after the birth of her daughter.

She wants to celebrate how far she's come and use her recovery journey to inspire and make a difference.

Sarah says: 'Tough Mudder, with its gruelling physical and mental challenges, serves as a symbolic representation of my belief that today, there's nothing I cannot overcome. The obstacles on the course reflect the hurdles life throws at us, and as I navigate mud pits and conquer towering walls, I'll be proving to myself and others that, after facing the darkest moments of my life, resilience and inner strength can conquer all.'

She's chosen to support APP through this event because 'APP introduced me to a community of genuine and caring people who helped me navigate the loneliness and complexities of this illness, and played a huge part in my recovery.'

Sarah is now a volunteer peer supporter for APP herself, supporting women and families who have also been affected by PP.

She will be providing regular updates on her training and her progress on the day of her challenge via her instagram page, plus you can read more and add your support for this challenge here.

Thank you Sarah and good luck!

30 July 2024

Kayleigh’s story: I was so unwell I was completely catatonic and unresponsive. But now I feel like we have the perfect family

When I suffered with postpartum psychosis after having my first daughter Daisy in 2014, me and my family had never heard of this illness. I had never suffered from any mental illness in the past but I was lucky that my family and my midwife knew that something wasn't quite right and I got the help I needed very quickly.

My labour with Daisy was long, painful and complicated which ended in me having an emergency c section. When she finally arrived I was so grateful she was here safe and healthy. I was totally in love with her, it felt like I was in a little bubble. The baby who we had waited so long for was here and life was perfect.

A picture of the author, Kayleigh, holding her newborn baby daughter, Daisy who is wearing a white and red sleep suit and red and black hat. — Kayleigh holding her newborn daughter Daisy

When it was time for us to leave the hospital I suddenly felt a huge wave of fear.

This tiny little baby was my responsibility to keep safe. What if I couldn't do it? What if I forgot something? How could I keep her safe from everything? I remember getting her ready to leave the hospital panicking if I had enough layers of clothes on her, would she be warm enough or would she be too hot, had I put her in the car seat right, was her head supported enough....

When we got home things started to get worse. I couldn't sleep at night thinking about all the things I needed to do and worrying I wouldn't have time to do it. I would have bursts of energy feeling like I was able to do everything at once then I would have times when I couldn't even feed Daisy feeling like I would do it wrong. I started making lists in case I forgot to do things like feed her and change her. I was frightened to bath her in case I did it wrong.

I became very suspicious of my midwife and health visitor thinking that they were coming to take my baby away from me and that they had been planning this my whole pregnancy thinking I was a bad mam. When watching telly I thought I was getting messages warning me that bad things were going to happen, that our family dog would attack the baby.

On advice from my midwife I was taken back to the maternity ward where things got frighteningly worse. I suddenly lost sight of reality and thought I had died during childbirth and that I was going to hell for something bad I had done. I remember screaming out to my husband to help me as I didn't know what to do. I was assessed by the mental health crisis team and the decision was made to section me as by this time I wasn't communicating. I had gone into a catatonic state and I couldn't move my body. I remember being put into a wheelchair and I didn't know where I was going. I felt like I was in a dream and that I needed to fall or jump to wake myself up.

A bed became available for me and Daisy at St George's Mother and Baby Unit in Morpeth so I was transferred there by ambulance. I could see my family around me but they didn't seem like the people I knew and loved - they felt like intruders or actors. I was very suspicious of them thinking they were going to hurt me.

A photo of the author, Kayleigh, holding her baby girl and brushing her hair while sitting on a bed in the Mother and Baby Unit with a pink blanket — Kayleigh and daughter Daisy in the MBU

When I arrived at the Mother and Baby Unit I thought I was being taken to hell and that I would be locked in a dark room forever and that horrible and unimaginable things were going to happen to me. I was still catatonic so in my mind I was dead and that's why I couldn't move or speak. I was given medication to help me get out of the psychosis but I was still unresponsive so I was then taken to another hospital for a brain scan to see if there was anything else going on. I remember being in the ambulance but I felt like it was all fake like they were trying to trick me into thinking it was all real. At this point I still wasn't aware of what was happening to me and I still hadn't spoken for hours. I remember being put into the machine for the brain scan and thinking I was going to be abducted by aliens. I jumped up and this was the first time I had spoken or moved in hours. The catatonia was over but my thoughts were still spiralling out of control.

I was taken back to the Mother and Baby Unit and as I walked down the corridor I could see all my family waiting for me. I could see white doors at the end of the corridor, which were actually fire exit doors, but in my mind they were the doors to heaven and I was walking there to say my goodbyes to my family.

I don’t remember much after that but the medication must have been taking effect as it helped me to sleep for the first time in days. When I finally woke, I realised I wasn't actually dead and everyone in my family was ok, my baby was ok. I felt like I had won the lottery. The feeling was unreal and I explained to my family what I had felt and thought. It was as if all the craziness had lifted from my mind and I was me again. I was so happy to be alive.

Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last long and I was hit with a wave of crippling depression which consumed my mind. I felt like I had lost my bond with Daisy and I didn't really want to see any of my family apart from my husband Dave.

I thought I would never get better and was going to spend the rest of my life in hospital.

As the days and weeks passed, I was allowed to try an overnight home visit, thinking back at the time I don't feel I was ready for this. The Mother and Baby Unit had now become my safe place. I knew I could look after Daisy there as I had the help of the nurses. But at home it was all on me and I didn't think I could do it. I was right, as soon as I got home the rooms seemed smaller, the fear, the anxiety, the depression it all came flooding back. Then I hit rock bottom, I felt like I didn't want to be here anymore, I wanted to just curl up in a ball on the floor and die. I needed a way out of this. I couldn't see myself getting any better. I couldn't live like this. I thought Dave, Daisy and my family would all be better off without me. I thought of ways to end my life. This was the lowest I had ever felt.

I had relapsed and couldn't make it through the night at home. I broke down and the only option my family had was to take me back to the Mother and Baby Unit.

Over the next few weeks I was helped by the nursing staff and psychologists to put things in place so that I could return home and I did, this time only for a few hours but it was lovely, totally different from my last home visit. I felt like I was where I should be at home with my beautiful little family.

Home visits became more regular and I was now spending a week at home. Everything was starting to click into place and it felt amazing. I finally believed I could be the mam that I had always wanted to be. I was discharged from the Mother and Baby Unit after six weeks and could finally start enjoying normal life again as a family. I was to continue with my medication for 12 months and be supported by a community mental health nurse who would visit me at home. I continued to recover from the illness but did relapse a year later, again out of the blue, but this time I could be supported at home and did not need to be admitted.

In 2017 we decided that we would try for another baby. We knew the risks and that there was a 50/50 chance that I would become poorly again but I was determined to put things in place this time to ensure it didn't happen. I was placed under a consultant who I would see regularly and I stopped my medication. We were lucky enough to fall pregnant quite quickly and plans were put in place for me to try to prevent another episode of postpartum psychosis. I was given the option to return to my medication soon after having the baby. I would also stay on the maternity ward for five days after the birth so I could be monitored, and a bed was even held for me at the same Mother and Baby Unit in case I needed it.

Author Kayleigh in a close up photo with her family of four all smiling at the camera with a blue sky background. Left to right Jasmine, Daisy, Kayleigh and husband Dave — Kayleigh’s family: Left to right Jasmine, Daisy, Kayleigh and husband Dave

On 1st August 2018 after the most perfect labour our second daughter Jasmine was born and our little family was now complete. I agreed to stay on the maternity ward for five days after birth as that's when my psychosis happened with Daisy and I was advised if it was to happen again it would be the same time frame. Everything was perfect. I didn't have any of the anxiety or depression that I had experienced previously and we could go home and enjoy life as a family of four.

Eight lovely months passed and we were the perfect family. Then one day the hallucinations came back and I started to see and hear things that weren't there. Having felt like this previously I told my husband Dave that I thought my psychosis was happening again. My family contacted the crisis team and by the time they came to assess me I was catatonic again. I was sectioned and admitted for the second time to the same Mother and Baby Unit. I have been told by my family that this psychosis was way worse than the first and I'm thankful that I actually don't remember a lot of it. I think my mind somehow blocked all the bad stuff out. It took longer for the medication to work this time and after a while my family were concerned that I didn't seem to be getting any better.

It was agreed by my family that I would have electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) which is a treatment that involves sending an electric current through your brain. This causes a brief surge of electrical activity within your brain and helps to relieve severe symptoms of mental health problems. The treatment seemed to work, and I was again allowed home visits starting off with a few hours, then progressing to an overnight stay. Eventually, I was going home for a full week’s home leave.

As with my previous episode of psychosis, I was discharged from the Mother and Baby Unit six weeks after being sectioned. To this day I continue with my medication as I know this is a huge preventative measure to stop me having psychosis in the future.

Author Kayleigh on the right taking a selfie of her with her husband Dave, wearing a purple APP t-shirt during their fundraising walk. — Dave and Kayleigh on their fundraising walk from Sunderland to the Morpeth MBU

It’s now been over five years since my last psychosis and for the first time I’ve felt ready to share my story and raise awareness of this heartbreaking illness. Me and my husband Dave completed a 27 mile charity walk in May for which we walked from our house in Sunderland to St George’s MBU in Morpeth to raise funds for Action on Postpartum Psychosis. We left our home at 5:40am and arrived at St George’s at 4:10pm, 27 miles and 10 and a half hours later, greeted at the end by our lovely daughters Daisy and Jasmine which was a very special moment.

We have the perfect family with our two beautiful daughters and because of what we have been through together it makes me even more grateful for what we have. The whole experience has definitely brought us closer together.

24 July 2024

APP July Newsletter

Free APP webinar: Essential knowledge for preventing maternal suicide

Book your place on APP’s free webinar – on Wednesday 16th October at 12pm - here.

Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK and rates are increasing nationally. APP’s second annual Alex Baish Memorial webinar is aimed at GPs (but all frontline health professionals are welcome) and will outline the actions needed to support and protect women who develop postpartum psychosis (PP). The webinar, delivered in collaboration with The National Centre for Mental Health at Cardiff University (NCMH) and General Practitioners Championing Perinatal Mental Health Care (GPCPC) will include a Q&A session with APP’s clinical, academic and lived experience experts.

More than 2,500 health professionals signed up for last year’s webinar. Of the attendees, 92% rated the training as ‘excellent' and 100% agreed they would change their practice as a result.

Book your free place here and share with your networks to let as many people as possible who work with new mothers know how to join us.

Annual peer support survey

If you have accessed APP’s peer support services, please tell us what you think by completing our survey.

The survey will take 15-20 minutes to fill in. It is open to anyone who has used APP's peer support service (online forum, café groups, one to one support via email, video/phone call or face-to-face, NHS partnership projects, or any other contact with an APP peer support volunteer or staff member). We would also like to hear from our volunteers who have delivered peer support.

Your responses will help us improve APP’s peer support and report to our funders on the importance of our work. If you have used our service this year, please complete the survey and help us demonstrate how many people our service is reaching.

The survey can be completed anonymously and is confidential.  Any comments or quotes you may wish to add will also remain anonymous. If you haven't used our peer support service but know someone else who has, please forward the link on to them.

Respond to our survey here.

Health professional training: book your place

Book now for our online training “Best practice care in postpartum psychosis” on 5th February 2025.

The one-day online training is suitable for professionals working with pregnant and postnatal women and families. It draws upon cutting-edge research in postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder and the real experiences of women and families. It will develop confidence in identifying and managing risk, identifying early symptoms, and providing high quality support to women and families from preconception to recovery.

Really brilliant session. Balanced, informed, inspiring, emotional. So raw and real and yet very professional and contained. Best training I've attended in a very long time.

Tickets are now available at the early bird special rate at £165 for bookings made before 29th September. Tickets cost £195 for places booked after 29th September. Find out more and book here.

If you would like to talk about tailored training for your team, have any questions, or to join our mailing list to hear about further training dates please email: training@app-network.org

Peer support volunteer training day

APP’s peer support service connects people who are recovering from postpartum psychosis (and their loved ones) with others who have been through the experience. Each year we train new volunteers, who offer support on our peer support forum, at our café groups and to individuals.

We were delighted to run a peer support training day on Saturday 22nd June in Birmingham (pictured above). Seven new volunteers joined us to learn about peer support, share experiences and make new friends.

We can’t do what we do without our wonderful volunteers and are thrilled to welcome new supporters to our team.

It was incredibly inspiring and informative. I came away feeling ready to be part of the APP family.

I left the training feeling so empowered, and strong. And even though I was being trained to support others it was incredibly healing for myself too.

I feel welcomed into a special family. And I can't wait to get started supporting other mums.

You can watch a short reel from the day here.

New bereavement peer support project

On 23rd June 2024, APP held our first training day for bereavement peer support volunteers.

We were joined by five new volunteers who want to use their experiences to help provide support for other families who have lost family members to PP.

During the day, which was held at the Barberry National Centre for Mental Health in Birmingham, we discussed the types of information and resources that would be useful for bereaved families. We are incredibly grateful to Rich, Sean, Iain, Don and FM for sharing their experiences. It was an inspiring and moving day, especially seeing peer support in action as trainee volunteers connected with, and learned from, each other.

Our new volunteers will help us develop web content for bereaved family members in the coming months and develop a peer support group for families bereaved by PP. If you would like to get involved with this project, or hear more as it develops please contact us at app@app-network.org.

Pictured above: APP’s bereavement volunteers with APP Chief Executive Dr Jess Heron, Peer Support trainer Clare Foster and National Peer Support Coordinators Jenny Stevenson and Ellie Ware.

New PP stories from our volunteers

A foot spa on the MBU turned into a really powerful peer support session.

APP’s fantastic volunteers regularly share their experiences of postpartum psychosis to help raise awareness of PP and campaign for improved services.

Thank you to Shaheda, Eli and Jenny whose stories have recently been added to our website.

If you have been affected by these stories, need any support, or want to meet others affected by PP, please get in touch.

Pamper packs to Mother and Baby Units

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Walgreens Boots Alliance for their support of our pamper packs, which have been delivered to every mum currently admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).

The packs are made up of beautifully gifted pamper items including moisturiser and soaps, which were donated by Walgreens Boots Alliance. They also contain letters from APP which explain more about our peer support service and link to our website where families affected by PP can find help, information and support.

We have received some lovely feedback from MBUs across the UK. The team at the West of Scotland MBU said:

Huge thank you to @ActionOnPP and @BootsUK for the lovely donation of spring pamper packs for our women. The gifts went down a treat tonight and were very appreciated.

You can read more about the pamper packs on our website.

Pictured above: APP’s Soukaina Bennani, Hannah Bissett and Natalie Thompson delivering packs to Birmingham MBU.

Could you share your story at a healthcare professionals conference?

Are you a black mum who has experienced psychosis in the perinatal period? APP will be at a conference for health professionals on Monday 4th November in London and we’re looking for a volunteer to help out at our stand, raising awareness and helping to improve care for others going through the illness.

We will support you with preparation and provide literature about APP and PP which you can share with delegates on the day.

Please get in touch with Shaheda or Ellie for more information: shaheda@app-network.org or ellie@app-network.org

The Birth Experience Study

The Birth Experience Study (BESt) has recently been launched in the UK, led by a team at King’s College London. The survey aims to explore the factors that contribute to a good or bad birth experience, the prevalence of birth trauma and how different models of care impact childbirth experiences.

The research team is interested in hearing from people who have given birth in hospital as well as in other settings. They are looking for experiences from across the UK

If you have given birth in the last five years and would like to participate in the survey you can do so here.

Is Psychiatry Working - focus on Mother and Baby Units

The BBC’s Is Psychiatry Working programme focused on postpartum psychosis and how the Mother and Baby Unit model looks after mother, baby and the family unit.

We’re incredibly grateful to Professor Femi Oyebode and journalist Emma Close for featuring postpartum psychosis in the series. Emma met with APP Chief Executive Dr Jess Heron, National Training Coordinator Dr Sally Wilson and Partners Coordinator Simon O’Hara when planning the programme. APP volunteers Jade and Lee shared their PP experiences on the programme, alongside psychiatrist Dr Trudi Seneviratne, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

You can listen to the programme here. If you have been affected by any of the issues featured in the episode and would like to talk to someone, you can access APP’s peer support service here.

In the media

APP volunteer Jade shared her postpartum psychosis experience on the Is Psychiatry Working? series. Listen on BBC Sounds.

Ruth Hanna shared her story in Tyla to raise awareness of PP and APP’s peer support service.

Sarah shared her PP experience including a stay at a Mother and Baby Unit with The Obs Pod.

Kayleigh’s story was featured in the Northumberland Gazette and Mail Online as part of her Miles For Mums and Babies fundraiser.

Teresa supported the campaign for a Mother and Baby Unit in Northern Ireland by sharing her story with ITV news.

APP Ambassador, Laura Dockrill, shared her PP story on the BBC World Service and in the Sunday Times magazine (payment required to access the full article).

Fabulous fundraisers

A big thank you to our recent fundraisers, including Helen Baines and her daughter Amelia who raised £300 with a Big Bake sale at the Methodist Church in Appleton Wiske; a team of pupils from Richard Baish’s school in Oxfordshire who sold all sorts of crafts at their summer fair and raised £80; Cee Jae who took part in a 12 hour online gameathon to mark her birthday; Carole Harris and her team at Burford Golf Club who have organised various events over the last few months. A special shout out to Jade Lloyd (pictured above with her team) who organised a lovely Cream Tea afternoon at her local nursery and raised an amazing £1,700!

Over the summer, we still have lots of fundraisers taking on challenges for us, so do look out for them and give them a cheer if you’re in the area!

Will Swannell is taking part in the London Tri on 28th July
Sarah Pujol is taking on a ToughMudder on 8th August
Cheryl, her son and friends are planning a 10k walk on 17th August
Matt Mecklebrough who is continuing his epic year of challenges for us, with a half marathon in Fleetwood on 25th August
Sarah is skydiving in Cornwall at the end of August

And we have five fabulous runners signed up for the Great North Run on 8th September – Tim, Louisa, Rob, Owen and Philippa! Look out for our social media posts about all out fundraisers and add your support if you can!

If you’re feeling inspired to take on an event for us in the coming months, or maybe even in 2025, check out our updated challenge page – highlights for next year include the London Landmarks Half, Brighton Marathon, Paris Marathon and so many more - you can now also search by region of the UK if you want to.

Do you or does anyone you know work for the Reed Group? This year, the Reed Group is asking employees to nominate charities to receive £10,000 - one charity a week for 52 weeks - so if you work there or know someone who does, please ask them to nominate APP to be one of the charities! More info here.

10 ways to support APP for free!

We're so grateful to all our supporters for continuing to think of APP and donating to help us support mums and families, but we understand that not everyone may be in a position to donate financially. We've come up with some ideas for ways you can support APP that won't cost you a single penny:

Are you a member of any clubs, societies, or groups - for example a golf club, choir, religious organisation - that could help raise awareness and funds? Let us know!
Sign up with EasyFundraising to raise money as you shop online - we could get some great donations if you're booking summer travel, hotels or airport parking. Plus if we get ten or more new supporters signed up this week, we'll receive a £1 bonus for each new supporter! It costs you nothing and every donation makes a difference, so please take a moment to do this for us and ask everyone you can to do the same! Sign up here.
Got a birthday or anniversary coming up? Set up a Facebook Birthday Fundraiser: https://bit.ly/fbbdayapp
Nominate us for a Movement for Good Award - it takes less than 1 minute and we might win £1000: www.bit.ly/NominateAPP
Do you or anyone you know work for a company that has a charity of the year award, match funds donations, or can nominate charities for funds?
Do you own or work in a shop or business that could host one of our loose change collectors?
Sell any unwanted goods on eBay: https://bit.ly/APPebay
Donate old broken or unwanted jewellery and old banknotes for recycling. Simply fill an A5-sized envelope, print off this freepost address, send it off and APP will receive a donation: https://bit.ly/apprecycle
Recycle your inkjet printer cartridges and raise money for APP. Find out more and get your freepost label here: recycle4charity.co.uk
Like and share all our posts to help us reach even more people.

Got any other ideas of ways you can help raise funds without spending a penny? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at: fundraising@app-network.org

Dates for your diary

APP Black Country face to face café group meet up in Walsall, Wednesday 31st July

APP Sussex and Hampshire virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 31st July

APP dads and co-parents virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 21st August

APP Manchester face to face café group meet up, Friday 23rd August

APP Scotland virtual café group meet up, Thursday 29th August

APP Black Country face to face café group meet up in Walsall, Wednesday 4th September

APP Northern Ireland virtual café group meet up, Thursday 12th September

All APP café groups can be booked here.

Contact information for all APP café groups is available here.

APP launches new bereavement peer support project

On 23rd June 2024, APP held our first training day for bereavement peer support volunteers.

We were joined by five new volunteers, all of whom have been bereaved by postpartum psychosis (PP) and who want to use their experiences to help provide support for other families.

During the day, which was held at the Barberry National Centre for Mental Health in Birmingham, we discussed the types of information and resources that would be useful for bereaved families. The ideas and feedback will be used to develop new pages for the APP website and peer support for bereaved families.

We are incredibly grateful to Rich, Sean, Iain, Don and FM for sharing their experiences. It was an inspiring and moving day, especially seeing peer support in action as trainee volunteers connected with, and learned from, each other:

I felt isolated. Other people were getting on with their lives. Being able to talk to other people who have been through what I have gives me a warm feeling.

As well as learning more about the importance peer support could make to families bereaved by PP:

Feeling like you are usefully doing something for others helps you feel like you are remembering the person you have lost.

Pictured above: APP’s bereavement volunteers with APP Chief Executive Dr Jessica Heron, APP Peer Support trainer Clare Foster and National Peer Support Coordinators Jenny Stevenson and Ellie Ware.

APP’s bereavement peer support project is supported by fundraising in memory of Alex Baish and by the Department of Health and Social Care’s Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund. A total of 79 charities across England have received funding for life-saving suicide prevention services.

18 June 2024

Cee Jae's 12 hour gameathon for APP

APP supporter Cee Jae has been raising awareness and funds for APP via live streaming their xbox games to Twitch for a while, but now Cee Jae has decided to step up their efforts even further, and on 30th June they will be holding an epic one off, 12 hour non stop streaming event, during which they will also share snippets of their journey through postpartum psychosis, alongside their gaming community gang.

Cee Jae is passionate about raising awareness of PP and of APP and says: 'I received some very meaningful support from APP on recovering from postnatal psychosis myself back a few years ago, so this cause is crucial to me.'

Cee Jae has shared some photos with us, saying 'These are from the time when me and Henri were in the MBU and when he came to visit me with his grandmother when I was in acute wards during my time through PP.

The photo of me and him all grown up (main photo above) is us today, five years later, still healing from the memories myself and still making more beautiful memories with my little dude.

It really is an understatement when I say that I am passionate about spreading awareness. My experience fuels my desire to fundraise for your organisation.'

You can add your support for Cee Jae via JustGiving here.

Follow Cee Jae on their Twitch channel (username mush_roomgoblin)

They are promoting their fundraiser, and more details about their recovery from APP in their discord server too.

30th June also just happens to be Cee Jae's birthday - what a great way to celebrate! We're so grateful to you for choosing to spend your birthday doing this for APP!

13 June 2024

APP's delivery of pamper packs to mums in Mother and Baby Units

Action on Postpartum Psychosis is delighted to be working with Walgreens Boots Alliance to deliver pamper packs and resources to every mum currently admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).

There are 22 Mother and Baby Units run by the NHS across the UK. APP has Peer Support Workers embedded with these teams in Chorley, Manchester and Birmingham but connecting with Mother and Baby Units more widely is central to our work with mums and families. Hearing from APP can often be the start of a lifelong connection for women to the charity, providing hope and enabling women to access peer support and much more.

The packs are made up of beautifully gifted pamper items including moisturiser and soaps, which have been donated by Walgreens Boots Alliance. They also contain letters from APP which explain more about our peer support service and link to our website where families affected by PP can find help, information and support.

The idea for pamper packs to MBUs came from APP volunteer Gemma and her husband Stephen. They first organised deliveries in 2020 as a way of providing a small boost to mothers who were unwell, providing a little bit of “me time” to help their recovery. Gemma made a delivery of the packs to Brockington Parent and Baby Unit this year (Gemma is pictured left with the packs and Unit staff).

Dr Jess Heron, Chief Executive of Action on Postpartum Psychosis said,

APP’s pamper packs are organised by our lived experience staff and volunteers and go out to inpatient psychiatric Mother and Baby Units. It’s our way of providing a little comfort and hope amid the storm. Everything in the packs has been kindly donated by Boots, a very generous donation to support mums.

A mum who received one of our pamper packs in 2020 said,

I didn’t feel like I deserved anything nice...And then this package was kindly given to me and the other mums on the unit. It was like someone gave me permission to do the things I'd resisted as a form of punishment for myself: i.e. brushing / washing my hair or even showering. These gifts hold so much meaning to the women who receive them. I cannot thank Action on Postpartum Psychosis enough for this gift...

This year Walgreens Boots Alliance staff have gone above and beyond to support the distribution of the pamper packs, volunteering their time to parcel up the gifts, folding letters and getting the packs ready for shipping (pictured below). Staff have also kindly volunteered to hand deliver the packs to MBU’s near their offices - adding a really personal touch to their support. The pamper packs would not be possible without the generous support of Walgreens Boots Alliance. We would like to thank them all for their invaluable help.

We have received some lovely feedback from MBUs across the UK. The team at the West of Scotland MBU said:

Huge thank you to @ActionOnPP and @BootsUK for the lovely donation of spring pamper packs for our women. The gifts went down a treat tonight and were very appreciated.

And further feedback from staff at Combewood MBU, sharing on social media:

Thank you @actiononpp for sending such thoughtful self-care packs for our mums.

Deliveries being made to Birmingham (left below) and Leeds (right below) MBUs by APP staff.

If you’re interested in being involved in future pamper pack projects, please get in touch app@app-network.org.

BBC Radio 4 Appeal Round Up

Thank you to everyone who supported APP’s BBC Radio 4 Appeal which was broadcast on 23rd March 2024.

It provided us with an incredible opportunity to reach new audiences, raise awareness of postpartum psychosis as well as APP, and raise vital funds to support our work.

The broadcast is still available to listen to here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xm04

The appeal aimed to raise funds and awareness, and reach people who had not heard of APP before.

Our ambassador, author Laura Dockrill presented the appeal, which focused on the importance of providing peer support. As part of the three minute broadcast, Laura shared some of her own PP story, and made a suggested donation ask of £34 which could enable APP to reach out to and support a new mum affected by PP.

All donations made to the appeal were matched by a generous donor.

Alongside the appeal we also successfully applied for an electronic billboard campaign with JC Decaux - this was live for four weeks during March 2024, with a focus on the BBC appeal for one week.

The appeal raised (with Gift Aid and match funding) £18,977. The average donation received was £43.

In addition to this, we also received approximately £8,500 from BBC Radio 4's general appeal fund - meaning the final total for the appeal was a fantastic £27,500. This will make a huge difference to the work we can do supporting mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis.

The impact of the appeal goes far beyond the donations though - the awareness raised will have even longer term effects for APP and the families we support:

Increased profile for APP - only 49 charities are chosen for BBC Radio 4 appeals each year.
Our electronic billboard campaign reached 16 million people across the UK.
MBUs and perinatal mental health teams across the country were invited to listen in, several did and some held listening parties and cake sales to mark the broadcast.
New people found APP - we received letters and emails from individuals who had been personally affected by PP.
The appeal and billboard campaign was shared by Maternal Mental Health Alliance, NCT, Royal College of Midwives, iHealthVisiting, Pandas UK and others.
Huge reach and lots of engagement on social media during the month of the appeal (158,000 reach, a 76% increase on the previous month!) including shares from Laura Dockrill, singer Paloma Faith, musician Hugo White, author Catherine Cho and others.
Anecdotal evidence of increase in referrals to local perinatal mental health teams.
Significant increase in number of new users on our forum.

Some quotes from donors:

‘I am giving a donation as I listen to the Radio 4 appeal - as it was something that happened in our family but was never talked about - our great grandmother died in an asylum in 1901 having been admitted following the birth of my grandmother in 1900. Last year I went to read the medical notes in the public record offices - she was an inmate for a harrowing 10 months, her behaviour - she believed her body was not her own and wished it destroyed - all meticulously recorded by the staff. Sadly she died of an unrelated infection. My grandmother never had a mother. So to find out your charity exists is a good thing. Good luck with your future.’

‘I’m so glad you're raising awareness about this. My mother was a sufferer’

‘I follow Laura Dockrill on Instagram and I saw she had posted about the campaign on Radio 4, which is why I have donated. I know two people who have a suffered from postpartum psychosis and after going through peri and post natal depression myself, I’m so grateful charities such as APP exist. Keep up the good work!’

Our Impact Story is live on the BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal website.

Thank you to everyone for getting involved, donating, sharing our social media posts, holding events and using this appeal as a way to start new conversations about PP and maternal mental health.

6 June 2024

Miles for Mums and Babies 2024

A massive thank you to everyone who has taken part in our 2024 Miles for Mums and Babies challenge so far. We have been so inspired by the number of supporters getting involved and amazed by all the different ways you've come up with to complete your miles - from roller skating to swimming to cycling and dancing, and of course lots of running and walking too.

Here's a round up of some of our Miles for Mums and Babies stars of 2024...

Team Challenges

We love it when teams of healthcare professionals decide to take on a challenge for us. We know how much work goes into these and we’re so grateful for your support!

The Margaret Oates MBU (Mother and Baby Unit) in Nottingham took part in Miles for Mums and Babies for the second year in a row raising nearly £500. This year they covered 365 miles - the physical journey between the Nottingham MBU and Belfast in support of APP’s campaign to raise awareness of the urgent need to a MBU in Northern Ireland.

The team at The Beeches MBU in Derbyshire decided to go for a massive 1240 miles, raising an incredible £1,270. They chose this number as their MBU opened in 1993 and on average they help 40 families a year so it was one mile for every mum or family The Beeches has supported since opening. They covered their miles on team walks, lots of dog walks, got some of the mums they are supporting involved and had a great time.

The Andersen MBU in Manchester initially planned to go for 500 miles but after a flying start they soon upped their target to 750 and ended their challenge on an amazing 951 miles! They've raised an excellent £100 so far and have other events in the pipeline - look out for three of their team taking part in the Manchester Half marathon later this year! Some of the team also took part in our APP team tutu walk in Manchester in May – thank you so much for joining us on the day and supporting the APP team.

The North Wales Perinatal Team each walked, ran, cycled or swam 141 miles throughout the month of May, representing the distance from South Stack on Anglesey to Ribblemere MBU in Chorley. They say: 'This is where we admit women most often for the highest level of support when they become unwell in the perinatal period. While the support they receive is undoubtedly to a high standard it is a long way for women to be away from their homes and families while they recover.' The team raised a fantastic £350 through their challenge and say they loved being part of it for the second year in a row!

The fab folk at the Suffolk Perinatal Mental Health team walked 1400 miles between them over the month – to raise awareness of the number of new mums who are diagnosed with postpartum psychosis each year. Across a number of different fundraising pages, they raised an amazing total of £2,220 - incredible work! Thank you.

A big group from the Humber Perinatal Mental Health Liaison Team all chose to cover 99km each during May to raise awareness, foster empathy, and generate vital funds to ensure that individuals facing PP receive the support they need. And they did indeed raise an amazing amount - £1,300! Thank you so much - a huge achievement.

A big thank you to all the teams taking part this year!

Individuals

Several of our individual fundraisers are back for their second year - Lisa and her lovely friends completed a five hour walk, raising £1,000 in the process; and amazing Becky chose to repeat her epic 5k a day in May challenge for the second time! Kayleigh and her husband Dave loved their challenge last year so much that they decided to do it again this year, this time walking 27 miles in a single day - the distance from their house in Sunderland to the MBU in Morpeth.

Big congratulations too go to our new Miles for Mums and Babies challengers including Karin who walked a massive 38 miles in a day; Hannah, who ran 50 miles in May; friends Carly and Jessica who raised nearly £1000 between them doing 5k a day; Sarah who walked 300 miles in a month, including a very wet climb up Mount Snowdon; Hannah, a perinatal mental health practitioner in Northern Ireland who ran 50k in May; Nia in Wales who completed 60 miles; Tegan, also in Wales, who aimed for 50 miles but finished on 58! Some challenges are still in progress, including Nicola who is swimming 17 miles - representing the distance her husband had to travel to visit her when she was unwell.

Gwen deserves an extra special shout out as our single biggest Miles for Mums and Babies fundraiser this year - raising over £4,000 with her 96 mile walk - an unbelievable achievement.

Kate is also taking on the challenge for the first time this year, she's in the process of walking 100 miles during May and June and has given us this update: 'I am really enjoying my walking. On about 70 miles now. I have been able to make lots of people aware of PP and the difference to postnatal depression which everyone has heard of! I still can’t believe that so many have never heard of it. So pleased to actually do something positive to help you after 34 years of my first episode.'

So many of our fundraisers have bravely shared their own stories of their experiences of postpartum psychosis, helping to raise awareness and understanding of the illness.

A huge thank you to every single fundraiser who has taken part so far this year, and to every donor who has supported them. The funds raised will go a really long way to helping us support even more mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis.

If you're feeling inspired by all this incredible activity, it's never too late to get involved - you can take on a Miles for Mums and Babies challenge whenever you want to - just drop Fliss an email and she'll help you come up with a plan! Or alternatively you could take on an organised challenge - we have access to places in all sorts of events all over the country - find out more here.

Eli’s story: PP made me miss the first 3 months of being a mum – but we found ways to make up for it

Going home from the Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) was bittersweet. I had missed out on the first three months of being a mum in my own home, but we started afresh, creating a nest, opening presents and taking a short family holiday. It was a truly great way to mark my recovery from such a horrible illness.

I always knew there would be some risk of postpartum psychosis (PP) because I had been previously diagnosed with bipolar. I did all the research, spoke to my doctor and decided to come off my meds while we were trying to get pregnant. When it happened, everything seemed to go smoothly, except in the background, as I have since discovered, things weren’t quite going to plan, as I wasn’t classed as high risk in the system, so my risk wasn’t properly flagged and planned for throughout the process.

The birth itself was simply magical.

I had a rare en caul birth, where my baby boy was born still in the sack, and it was a water birth too. It was a wonderful experience having to break the sack and meet him and, even though this was in the midst of the first lockdown and my partner, James, was only able to be there for the active labour, everything felt right. I was discharged quickly and was home by the following morning.

For the next few weeks I was seemingly quite well, aside from feeling a bit down because I couldn’t have anyone visit and fawn over the baby due to lockdown. However, when he was about a month old I started getting paranoid thoughts, collapsing and having panic attacks. I’ve got a big family and we’re very close so I was calling them all, telling them that there was something wrong with me. I started getting paranoid that James was having an affair and that resulted in me going to stay with my parents for a week.

By this point I hadn’t been sleeping, and I had been off my meds for about a year.

My psychosis quickly intensified, from paranoid thoughts and panic attacks to acting out, believing strange things, praying on the ground and vomiting. I ended up being admitted to an MBU (Mother and Baby Unit) and I was quickly put back on my meds, but it took a little while to get back on track - probably because my hormones were all over the place. I also think it’s quite normal to have a dip when you’re first admitted, and I certainly didn’t do all that well at first. I had to have 24-hour observation so there was always someone watching me which was a bit unnerving. In fact, when I was acutely unwell, in some ways it felt like the end of the world, because I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t.

After a while though I started to improve. I began working more positively with the professionals and getting involved in all the activities on offer – from the sensory room and baby massage, to pampering for the mums, exercise classes, arts and crafts and baking.

I also accessed peer support in the MBU, and I met Jocelyn and Hannah from APP who would pop in a few times a week. We’d have cups of tea and chat and it made such a big difference to me. Finding other women who had been through the same things as me was really reassuring and it gave me so much hope.

In total, I was in hospital for about ten or eleven weeks, and then finally I was able to go home.

I was really excited about getting back home. I was desperate to make my nest with my baby and catch up on all the things we’d missed out on at the start of our parenting journey. It was August so we treated ourselves to a short break to Wales, spending time outside and on the beach which was lovely. And at home, with all our home comforts around us and the new baby presents we hadn’t been able to open when I was so poorly, things were starting to get much better. We started our baby memory book, and I began going to baby yoga classes and meeting up with other mums for short walks outdoors. I was really proud of myself and how far I’d come.

I was under the perinatal team for some time, having a nurse visit each week, but I found this really helpful and we had such a good rapport. If there were any problems I knew I could turn to her. But my recovery was going really well at the time.

Sadly, I did have a brief relapse in 2022. While my bipolar and pregnancy obviously created a risk for PP, it was then discovered that I also had Graves Disease – a hyperthyroid problem that can trigger very similar symptoms to bipolar. I didn’t experience psychosis this time around, but it was an episode of mania that resulted in another hospitalisation. I’ve since found out that hyperthyroidism runs in my family and it can be triggered around pregnancy and childbirth. While it was some time after giving birth that I became manic, I do still wonder if there was a hormonal link.

Since that episode though everything has been managed well and I’m back on my bipolar meds, as well as my thyroid medication.

I’ve felt stable and well and feel really positive about the future.

It was after this relapse and well into my recovery from it that I had a kind of full circle moment. I was thinking about all the peer support I received at the MBU, as well as through the APP café groups I attended after my hospital discharge. I really wanted to give something back, so I applied for a role as an APP volunteer, and then, after some time volunteering, I applied for a job as a sessional peer support worker, which I was offered and still do to this day. It feels amazing being able to pass on that support and help other women.

James and I have decided not to have any more children, which is difficult to come to terms with and in some ways feels like a sort of grief. However, the risk of PP happening again, combined with my age and the fact that I am taking hyperthyroid meds kind of brought us to that conclusion. It’s sad, but I am so grateful for the wonderful family I have.

We’ve had our ups and downs but if anything, this experience has just made us stronger. Coming back from an illness like PP is hard, but we’ve found our groove, and now we’re just focusing on making happy memories together.