I was about to give birth when I started seeing dead people
Share:
I was in the delivery suite when I saw family members who had died long ago standing around the bed, willing me on to give birth to my son. Then, a really strong belief took hold of me, making me think that, once my son arrived, I would have to die. I panicked, telling my husband that I wasn’t ready to die – and that’s when he realised something was very, very wrong.
![[Georgina Hackney: I had a psychotic episode in the delivery room]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233831194-ddcb-e1734690317274.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
We didn’t know it at the time but I was experiencing postpartum psychosis. Postpartum psychosis (PP) is a serious postnatal mental illness that causes a detachment from reality that usually comes on in the hours, days or weeks after giving birth. Core symptoms include: seeing or hearing things that others can’t (hallucinations); unusual beliefs (delusions); extreme confusion; rapid mood changes (often including manic or euphoric mood); racing thoughts and being unable to or not needing to sleep.
![[Georgina Hackney: I had a psychotic episode in the delivery room]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233831106-f959-e1734690409939.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Before I was diagnosed, I’d never heard of PP. I’d never even experienced any kind of mental health problem. But, as I would come to learn, it affects around 1-2 in every thousand births. And while those with bipolar disorder are more vulnerable to developing PP, it is something that can occur seemingly out of the blue, in people who have had no prior experience of mental illness.
![[Georgina Hackney: I had a psychotic episode in the delivery room]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233831192-a742-e1734690452541.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The good news is though, while it should always be treated as a medical emergency, with the right care, almost all women recover, including me. My husband Chris and I had only been trying for a couple of months when I fell pregnant. It all happened quite quickly but we were overjoyed and prepared.
![[Georgina Hackney: I had a psychotic episode in the delivery room]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233831190-9048-e1734690293946.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
