Ivana Poku It happened again.
Another mother. Another tragedy. Another headline that makes my stomach twist.
We’ll read it, shake our heads, and say, “How could she?”
But the real question we should be asking is: How could we let it get this far?
Because every time a mum reaches a breaking point due to postpartum depression (PPD), it’s not just her story that fails – it’s ours as a society.
Postpartum Depression Crisis: When a Mother Reaches Breaking Point
Her name is Alice Mackey.
She drowned her two-year-old daughter, and was sentenced to four years in prison at Winchester Crown Court.
Alice wasn’t evil. She was unwell.
She was a mum in crisis, lost in the darkness of postpartum depression, without the right help and support.
As a mother who’s been dangerously close to hurting her own babies, I feel compelled to speak.
Many calll her a monster or evil.
I don’t blame them, I blame the system.
A system that still fails to educate people about new mum mental health. (Or mental health in general, to be honest.)
It’s 2025, and people still don’t understand that postpartum depression is a serious illness – one that can completely take over your mind and body.
Postpartum Depression Isn’t Just Low Mood: What Every Mum Should Know
Postpartum depression isn’t just “low mood.”
It can start years after having a baby and last for years.
And these mums who have harmed their babies because of postpartum depression or psychosis, they are not monsters.
They are women in the middle of a mental health crisis, desperate for help that never came.
Locking them up does nothing to prevent another tragedy.
The real crisis is a system that fails new mothers, leaving them isolated, untreated, and at risk.
How Early Support Can Prevent Postpartum Depression Tragedies
I’ve seen what happens when mums get early intervention, accessible support, and community care.
It saves lives – both mums’ and babies’.
If we continue ignoring this, more lives will be lost.
But if we act now, we can stop it.
And here’s another fact:
The solutions are within reach, and most don’t cost a thing.
So What Can We, as a Society, Do?
1. Continue Having Honest Conversations About Motherhood
Let’s stop pretending that becoming a mum is always the most joyful time of a woman’s life.
For many, it’s not. And that’s normal. (I explain why in the post Having a baby is a miracle, but it doesn’t mean it always feels magical.)
Mums should never feel ashamed for struggling.
We can start by being honest, with ourselves and with others.
But be careful who you speak to. Choose someone who understands, ideally another mum, a friend, or a support group.
(From countless stories I’ve heard, your parents often struggle to understand at first – not because they don’t care, but because they’re too emotionally invested and want to “fix” things.)
So trust your gut. Open up to someone safe.
Once you do, you’ll find it easier to talk to more people.
That first conversation is crucial and can be life-changing.
2. Better Education About Postnatal Life
Antenatal and prenatal classes focus heavily on birth, but barely mention what happens after.
And the media? It makes motherhood look like pure joy.
That’s not right.
It sets women up with false expectations and leaves them completely unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster that follows.
Mums need to know that:
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It’s normal (and common) if you don’t fall in love with your baby at first sight.
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It’s normal to feel overwhelmed or have intrusive thoughts.
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It’s normal to feel lost and lonely
- It’s normal to miss your old life
- It’s normal to want to turn back time after giving birth
To name but a few!
When mums are educated and prepared, they’re far less likely to feel ashamed or stay silent.
This is exactly why I created my course “Happy Motherhood Journey” – to prepare expecting mums for postnatal life and help them prevent postpartum depression.
3. Better Postnatal Mental Health Support
Hospitals often say they lack staff or funding to provide proper postnatal mental health care.
But I believe simple, affordable solutions already exist.
Every hospital should run weekly support groups for new mums, led by someone to talk about life as a new mum from an emotional perspective.
Ideally, this should be someone who’s been through it themselves, or who has supported someone who has.
Because while trained professionals play an important role, they often miss that personal connection – the one that makes mums feel truly seen, understood, and safe to open up.
Most hospitals already have staff who could facilitate this.
It’s not about big budgets.
It’s about big change in how we see and support new mothers.
We Don’t Need More Prisons for Mums — We Need More Compassion
Until we start treating postpartum depression as the serious illness it is, we’ll keep seeing headlines like Alice’s.
It’s not justice.
It’s tragedy , one that can be prevented with empathy, education, and early support.
Because when we support new mums, we save families..
But this isn’t just about Alice.
It’s about every mother silently crying in the shower, every woman hiding her thoughts because she’s terrified of being judged, and every family that doesn’t know how to help her.
It’s about the ones who smile on the outside but feel empty inside.
The ones who whisper “something’s wrong with me”, when really, something’s wrong with the system.
We owe it to them, and to every baby who deserves a safe, healthy mum – to do better.
Change doesn’t always start in hospitals or courtrooms.
It starts in living rooms.
In honest conversations between friends.
In workplaces that don’t expect mums to “bounce back.”
In partners who ask, “How are you really doing?” and are ready to listen to the truth.
It starts with you and me.
Because we can’t undo what happened to Alice or her daughter, but we can make sure it never happens again.
Let’s build a world where mums are supported, not shamed.
Heard, not dismissed.
Helped, not handcuffed.
And maybe one day, instead of headlines about another tragedy, we’ll see one that say: “Another mum got help – before it was too late.”
More Helpful Resources For New Mums
If you’re an expecting or new mum, please don’t wait until it gets too hard to ask for help.
Below are more resources I cfreated for you, so that you don’t ever have to struggle.
My book,Motherhood – The Unspoken, shares the raw, honest truth about what becoming a mum really feels like – the parts no one warns you about but every mother needs to hear. It also contains a lot of pratical tips and plenty of support for new mum. It’s the book I wish I’d had when I was a new mum.
For those who want to go deeper and truly prepare for life after birth, my course Happy Motherhood Journey offers personal guidance to help you prevent postnatal depression, feel confident, and give your baby and yourself the most beautiful beginning.
I also have a free resouce for you, 7-day Email Course: How to Feel Like You Again After Having a Baby.
And as ever, if you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments!
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