Vanessa Guttridge
My Story
I am fundraising for APP as it's a charity close to my heart, when my son was born 8 years ago we spent his first 3 months in a mother and baby unit as I suffered with a mental illness called Postpartum Pyschosis.
Luckily Hampshire have an MBU in Winchester but many have to travel far and some families aren’t lucky enough to have one close enough.
It took me years to recover and I still often think about the milestones of Archie that I missed, mostly in his first year or so and it hits me how poorly I was but im so grateful for the support I had when he was born and the years after.
Please consider donating to my fundraising as APP are a small charity who support families going through Postpartum Psychosis.
About Postpartum Psychosis
Postpartum Psychosis is a severe, but treatable, mental illness that occurs after having a baby. It can get worse very quickly and should be treated as a medical emergency. Most women need medication and hospital admission. With the right treatment, women with PP do make a full recovery. It takes time and the journey may be tough. The illness can be frightening and shocking for the woman experiencing it and her family. The period after childbirth can be a devastating time to experience a severe mental illness.
About APP charity
APP runs the only peer support network in the UK, the largest in the world. Our National Coordinators & volunteers offer support, empathy, practical information & hope to around 800 women & family members each year - online, in person & in the community. 95% of service users report feeling less isolated; 35% think they might not be alive without the service. Our peer support for dads, partners, grandparents and Black, Asian & minority ethnic communities mean more families benefit from our help.