Twins, postnatal depression and me.

Abstract

I am a mother to four-year-old twin girls. Life since their birth has not been easy and postnatal depression has blighted our relationship. So, too, has it affected the relationship I have with friends, family, my husband, myself. My reasons for becoming a student midwife were numerous, but my experiences as a pregnant woman and a new mother were pivotal in that decision. Whilst screening tools are commended to detect postnatal depression, depression does not fit a scoring system neatly, and is experienced differently by everyone. In addition, women suffering may falsify results (I did) and may not consent to use of the tools. Women's subjective experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood is crucial, and PND needs to be spoken about in the antenatal period in order to overcome the associated stigma and to encourage women's self-efficacy in reporting symptoms.