23 | Elyse - depression, rage, medication, psychiatry

Perinatal Stories Australia

‘Are you feeding your baby?’ These are the words that confronted ICU nurse, Elyse, at a week postpartum when she was told her newborn son was starving, despite her strict three-hour feeding regime. In her words, a diagnosis of insufficient glandular tissue (IGT) or breast hyperplasia caused her world to fall apart.

For weeks, Elyse tried everything to increase her supply but was instead left enviously watching the bond between Patrick and her husband develop while she was crying and pumping alone for over six hours a day.

Although she finally stopped pushing herself to her absolute limits, her mental health continued to deteriorate as her son fought sleep and feeds. From grief about her experience to fits of rage when she yelled at the dog or screamed into pillows, Elyse kept dreaming about running away.

That is until, finally, a nurse, social worker, and psychiatrist at a residential stay recognised that Elyse needed more support. Her journey turned around quickly because of this, and soon after, she welcomed twins!

This is one woman’s breath-taking story about letting go: letting go of the pressure to breastfeed, letting go of pumping, letting go of recording every moment in a baby app, letting go of self-blame, letting go of resisting help, and letting go of control. This is Elyse’s story.

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MADE WITH LOVE by Rebecca (host, founder, storyteller) x