Author illustrator Laura Dockrill had an idyllic pregnancy and couldn't wait to meet her new baby. But as she went into labour things began to go wrong - a traumatic birth, anxiety, sleep deprivation and a slow recovery all piled up until Laura felt overwhelmed and her feelings escalated scarily quickly into postpartum psychosis. She became paranoid and delusional and had to be institutionalised for a fortnight without her baby.
Laura's experience was devastating but her message is hopeful. Not only has she slowly recovered, but has come out the other side stronger and more assured about parenting on her own terms. Now she is determined to break the silence around postnatal mental health and use her story to tell new parents: you are not alone.
'This is a generous, humane, brave gift of a book. Its guts and humour spoke to me loud and clear...There’s a conspiracy of silence around so many of areas of birth and new motherhood, and Laura is breaking the glass ceiling of it, with glorious honesty, humour and humility’ Sophie Dahl
Laura's experience was devastating but her message is hopeful. Not only has she slowly recovered, but has come out the other side stronger and more assured about parenting on her own terms. Now she is determined to break the silence around postnatal mental health and use her story to tell new parents: you are not alone.
'This is a generous, humane, brave gift of a book. Its guts and humour spoke to me loud and clear...There’s a conspiracy of silence around so many of areas of birth and new motherhood, and Laura is breaking the glass ceiling of it, with glorious honesty, humour and humility’ Sophie Dahl