I’m running the Clayton 10k on 10th May to hopefully: 1) get fitter and 2) raise some awareness/money for a charity close to my heart.

In 2011, when pregnant with my first son, I was shocked to experience a condition called Postpartum Psychosis (PP).  PP affects around 1/2 in 1,000 mums and usually occurs around 6-10 days after childbirth. Little is known about PP’s exact cause, but pregnancy hormones are thought to be a key factor.  

My PP symptoms started before my son was even born and included hearing voices, seeing things others couldn’t, believing strange ideas, no longer trusting anyone and extreme anxiety. It was a very confusing and frightening time. Especially as I had no history of mental illness and my family or I had never even heard of PP.

When my son turned one, I discovered a fantastic charity called Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP). Their information and peer support was so helpful to me. For the first time I found other people with similar experiences. I no longer felt so alone. APP also get involved in research and help raise awareness of this relatively rare but really horrible mental illness so that more mums hopefully get the support they need.

Thanks to APP’s help and my family/friend's loving care I survived PP.  And although I experienced the illness again in 2014 with my second son, my tale has a happy ending. I’m now proud mum to two wonderful boys. But not everyone is so lucky. PP can and does have devastating consequences for some families.

Thank you for reading this far and if you could also give a donation to help APP's work that would be amazing thanks xxx