Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes expressed “ashamed” at how little understanding there is about postnatal depression.
The MP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has spoken out before about her own experience of illness, and admitted she was shocked by the lack of resources and research into pregnancy and women’s health issues.
In her new podcast, she also suggests that frontline workers such as midwives could benefit from additional training in supporting mothers’ mental health immediately after giving birth.
Forbes, who gave birth to daughter Naomi in August 2022, Podcasts that talk about suicide From Mikeysline, a mental health charity in Inverness.
She said: “I am still astonished at the lack of understanding of an issue that affects so many people.”
“Given how pregnancy and pregnancy-related women’s health issues impact thousands of women, I’m truly surprised at how little resources and research there is on pregnancy and pregnancy-related women’s health issues.
“Not that long ago, it was dismissed as baby blues.
“For some women, birth comes and goes, it’s an emotionally difficult day and for some it quickly deteriorates into something very serious. I have to praise NHS Highland, the midwives and the doctors – they really couldn’t have done more and based on what other women have told me, I think it’s rare.”
Forbes opened up more about her battle with the serious illness and how she believes her baby would be better off without her.
“When I got home, I started having like night terrors and day terrors,” she said.
“I was overwhelmed with fear for my baby’s health. I thought I would be the one to cause her pain and suffering and would be better off somewhere else.”
She said she was convinced someone was trying to harm them.
“If I went to take a shower, I could only stay in the shower for 30 seconds because I was sure someone was going to come in with a machete or something. It’s ridiculous, but no fact can disprove something I believe so strongly,” she said.
“As a politician, I think I’m a professional at putting on a smile and giving the right answer, regardless of what the other person is thinking inside. I did that for a while, but I lost all my sleep.”
“Within a week, I couldn’t speak without crying and everything just poured out.”
It was only when her husband, Ali McLennan, read out a checklist of symptoms of postnatal depression and the midwife intervened that Forbes realised what was happening.
Image source, Ruaraidh White
She said on the podcast that she wanted to speak out about her experience because of how many women are going through the same thing and how “how many of them don’t get help, and where that leads them.”
Though she was at the peak of her career and well prepared for anything, the reality of becoming a mother was completely different to what she expected.
The difficult and traumatic birth left her feeling out of control.
She said: “I just knew if I kept breathing, kept moving, stayed positive and stayed in control, I’d be OK.”
“But I didn’t expect the baby’s heartbeat to almost disappear, I didn’t expect the bleeding to start, I didn’t expect specialists in the room, I didn’t expect intervention. I could see it starting to get out of control.”
Kate Forbes said in a podcast published on Thursday that she felt a cultural change was needed to bring about change, including reforms to the service from her own government.
The guidelines, produced by Health Improvement Scotland (HIS), included both versions for patients and healthcare professionals, aiming to improve care and reduce stigma.
“We’ve made efforts in terms of the money we’ve invested and the recruitment that’s been required, but we believe every issue should be linked a little bit to mental health as well,” Forbes said.
“Midwives are trained to deliver babies and not necessarily trained to support the mother’s mental health, but they are also best placed to look for signs immediately after birth and support the mother’s mental health.”
She also suggested providing “additional training” to frontline workers so they can support new mothers.
“These are principles that apply: if you receive a cancer diagnosis, who will support you with the impact on your mental health? If you’ve experienced a bereavement, who is your first point of contact to support you with mental health issues?”
“It’s important to provide additional training to frontline workers who can help with the nature of the problem and respond after it occurs.”
