Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that can affect women soon after having a baby. It affects around 1 to 2 in 1000 mothers after giving birth.

Postpartum psychosis is very different from the "baby blues". It's a serious mental illness and should be treated as a medical emergency.

I suffered with this illness 5 days after giving birth to my first daughter Daisy and again with my second daughter Jasmine. Luckily for me my amazing family and midwife noticed that something wasn't right and I got the help I needed very quickly.

I was a patient at St George's Mother and Baby Unit in Morpeth for 6 weeks which massively helped with my recovery as I was not separated from my baby. Some mothers aren't so lucky and if there wasn't a space available in a Mother and Baby Unit they would be placed in a General Psychiatric Ward. There are only 19 Mother and Baby Units in England and most only have 6 beds so there are many parts of the country without.

I would love to raise money for the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis who campaign for Mother and Baby Units, so that women affected by postpartum psychosis can receive the treatment they need. They raise awareness of postpartum psychosis, provide support and information to mums and families affected, train health professionals and conduct research to better understand the illness.

Me and my husband Dave are taking part in the Miles for Mums and Babies Challenge to support the work of APP. We have decided to walk 56,000 steps in one day on Sunday 18th May 2025. The number 56 represents the distance in miles that Dave travelled each day to be with me at the Mother and Baby Unit and he was a huge part of my recovery.

Every 1,000 steps we walk we will be leaving a positive message of hope and awareness for mams who might really need it.

All donations would be greatly appreciated and your support will help us to achieve our challenge. Thanks in advance, Kayleigh and Dave xx