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Mum's Terrifying Hallucinations After Birth
27 Jul
Summary
- New mother experienced vivid hallucinations and voices post-childbirth.
- She battled intrusive thoughts of her baby's harm and self-harm urges.
- Mother and baby unit admission helped in recovery from psychosis.
Jessie Calvert, a 20-year-old from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, began experiencing severe hallucinations and hearing voices following the birth of her daughter, Matilda Eve Dent. Complications from a postpartum hemorrhage led to persistent pain and a significant deterioration in her mental health over seven months.
Her symptoms included intrusive thoughts that her baby was in danger and auditory hallucinations instructing her to harm herself for her daughter's safety. She also saw disturbing visual disturbances, including her baby appearing lifeless or monstrous.
In November 2025, ten months after Matilda's birth, Jessie was admitted to a mother and baby unit for six weeks. Diagnosed with postnatal depression and psychosis, she has limited memory of her daughter's first year.
Jessie credits medication for sleep and mood stabilization, along with cognitive behavioral therapy and support from perinatal mental health services, for her recovery. She emphasizes the importance of speaking up about mental health struggles.
