As many of you know in 2016 I was diagnosed with Postpartum psychosis after the very premature delivery of my 5th child Forrest . 

I was extremely unwell and needed specialist treatment in a Mother and baby unit . Without access to their specialist care I wouldn’t be here today . 

Unfortunately there are not enough Mother and baby units in the UK and families will often have to travel far from home to receive treatment and visit their loved ones . In my case our nearest MBU was a 44 mile round trip — and whilst not as far as some my husband didn’t drive at the time and we had 4 other children. This meant he relied on public transport or the kindness of friends to be able to visit once a week . 

In honour of the miles Mark other mums , dads and families travelled I’ll be running / cycling 176 miles in the month of May which is the same as the amount of miles Mark would have travelled each month to see me and Forrest . 

Action on Postpartum psychosis were an integral part of my recovery and being able to support them and enable them to support more families experiencing Postpartum psychosis is something I’m incredibly passionate about . Running isn’t on my list of enjoyable exercises so this really will be a huge challenge for me ! 

Any donation made in support really will change lives and will be greatly appreciated. 

Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) is a UK charity. We’re here to make sure mums, parents and families are supported through postpartum psychosis – a severe, but treatable, form of mental illness that occurs after having a baby and affects 1400 new mums in the UK each year.We offer information and peer support, facilitate ground breaking research, raise awareness and campaign for improved services. Our life changing peer support network helps women and families affected by postpartum psychosis feel understood, supported and less isolated.