Kate Forbes MSP – juggling parenthood, politics and crippling post-natal depression

Speaking of Suicide

“I got home and that’s when the sort of night terrors and the day terrors started. I was overwhelmed by fear for the baby’s health, I assumed I would be the person that would cause her pain and suffering and therefore it would have been better for me to be elsewhere”

Key takeaways from this podcast

1. We need to normalise the conversation about post-natal depression without stigma or judgement.
2. Post-natal mental health difficulties can manifest themselves in several different ways
3. None of the conditions associated with post-natal depression mean that you are a bad mother or parent.

Kate Forbes MSP talks candidly about what she went through as one of the 1 in 10 women who experience crippling post-natal depression, something which left her with a deep fear of her baby daughter coming to harm.

In this engaging and utterly honest conversation Kate talks about her expectations of becoming a mum and how the reality left her feeling like a total failure, out of control and unable to sleep for fear of something bad happening to her daughter, Naomi. Nothing had prepared her for the psychological turmoil of post-natal depression, she didn’t even realise that what she was experiencing was post-natal depression. Kate also shares how the experience has changed her as a politician, made her more compassionate and want to focus on mental health support across society.

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Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio