A MOTHER who suffered from anxiety after giving birth is now training others to help new mums struggling with their mental health.
Susie King was stationed with the British army in Bedfordshire when her first child was born seven years ago.
The mother-of-two says she started to experience severe anxiety shortly after giving birth, but thanks to the perinatal mental health experience of her health visitor, her symptoms were recognised quickly.
Susie was referred to a specialist for her help, which she says saved her life and helped her to a speedy recovery.
She said: “The perinatal health team did everything they could to facilitate my recovery whilst at home, rather than admitting me to hospital.
“I can look back on my illness and see that maintaining all the familiarities of home protected my mental state.”
Following her own experience, Susie says she became “passionate” about helping struggling mums and families.
She is now a service user consultant and peer support worker for a crisis team at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which run simulation training courses in collaboration with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.
The simulation training courses use actors and real-life scenarios to train health professionals such as midwives, junior doctors and health visitors, who are involved in the care of women during pregnancy or following delivery.
They act out several situations to help spot mental health conditions including obsessive compulsive disorder and severe post-partum psychosis
Susie said: “Motherhood in the first year is hard and not as sometimes portrayed on social media.
“To anyone experiencing perinatal mental health issues I would urge them to speak to a family member or friend about it and ask for some help visiting their GP.
“I have so much gratitude and respect for the individuals who were involved in my treatment. I will never forget the hope that my psychiatrist gave me at a time I felt none.
“It is for clinicians such as these, who do not work in a perinatal team day to day, which the simulation training is so very useful for.”
Over the last two years more than 130 people have attended these courses across GP, neonatal and family nursing services.
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