Petition to the Welsh Government for mother and baby psychiatric unit in south Wales
WHEN Leaza Jayne Lloyd had a baby last year it was supposed to be one of the most joyous experiences of her life. The last thing she or her family were expecting was the year-long ordeal that followed.
Since giving birth, Leaza, 29, has been in and out of hospital, barely able to see her five children, including her newborn son Aston.
It all began when, shortly after giving birth on July 3 last year, Leaza felt that something wasn’t right.
“I was delusional and seeing things. I tried to take my own life because I’d started to hallucinate that the baby was a robot.”
Leaza, from Pontllanfraith, was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, which has since led her on a dark and frightening journey.
Over the past year, Leaza has barely been out of hospital and has attempted to take her own life on two occasions. She has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD.
“My whole normal life had come to an end and it was just like everything fell on top of me,” she said.
She was admitted to Ystrad Mynach’s Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr after giving birth to Aston.
Although the unit was able to treat Leaza there, it is not equipped to deal with children and so she could not be with Aston.
“At first I was admitted to Ty Cyfannol in Ystrad Mynach and was separated from the baby until a mother and baby unit could become available,” she said.
With the hospital unable to care for both Leaza and Aston on the psychiatric ward, she was transferred to a mother and baby unit in Exeter, where she remained until Christmas.
In Exeter, Leaza and Aston were more than a two-hour drive away from her partner David and her older children, leaving them unable to see her for most of the week.
Leaza has now launched a petition to the Welsh Government for a mother and baby psychiatric unit in South
Wales.
David said: “There was a fourmonth period where me and the kids couldn’t see our youngest on a daily basis. It was really upsetting for the children not to have their mother in their life.”
He said planning trips to Exeter was sometimes difficult. If Leaza wasn’t feeling well on a particular day that David and the children had planned to see her, he would sometimes need to make the trip alone, leaving the children unable to see their mum.
After returning home from Exeter in December, Leaza was readmitted several times to Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr over the following months, including one occasion on Boxing Day. She was then readmitted in June after another attempt to take her own life.
“I couldn’t take it any more. Everything just got too much,” she said.
Being in Ystrad Mynach, Leaza is now closer to her family but unlike the specialist unit in Exeter, she is separated from baby Aston.
“I was breastfeeding and I was separated from the baby,” she said.
Her partner of seven years, David, added: “With Leaza going into the hospital, Aston was breastfeeding and suddenly we were left bottle feeding him.
“We had a baby who wasn’t used to being around the family and was used to having his mother around, and suddenly his mother was taken away from him.”
The family’s situation was also exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. David said: “There was no visiting from March, so we’ve only been able to visit for the past two or three weeks again.”
One of the most distressing things about Leaza’s experience is the
impact it has had on her children.
Her three youngest, Aston, twoyear-old Alexander and six-year-old Isaac live with dad David, while her two eldest children from a previous relationship, Justin, 11, and Curtis, 10, live with their grandparents.
Justin and Curtis’ grandmother Samantha Price said: “Emotionally, it’s been terrible for the children. It has affected them.”
She added: “Leaza is an amazing mother to her children. It’s heartbreaking to see how they’ve been ripped apart.”
Leaza has had the support of her family and partner but believes that if a mother and baby psychiatric unit had been closer to home, her experience would have been less traumatic.
She said: “I think it would have aided my recovery massively. It took so long to recover, and even then I wasn’t even fully recovered. And then there was the pressure of the transition home. Being so far away, and then coming home, was really hard.”
“I just hope that no one has to go through what I went through. I’ve seen a few ladies going through so much pain and suffering.
“It’s life-threatening. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a mother could die being separated from her baby. It made me suicidal.”
The Welsh Government said there are plans to create a mother and baby unit by spring 2021.
A spokesperson said: “The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee has been asked to establish mother and baby provision in Wales to enable mothers to access more intensive support when needed.
“Earlier this year, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, we asked WHSSC to urgently explore interim provision whilst longer-term arrangements are put in place which will be located at the Tonna Hospital site (in Neath) and is expected to be in place by spring 2021”.
■ You can view Leaza Jayne’s petition at https://www.change.org/p/welsh-government-mother-andbaby-psychiatric-unit-for-walesmbu and see the blog she has written about her experiences here: https://www.bipolarragdoll.com/
■ For confidential support the Samaritans can be contacted for free around the clock 365 days a year on 116 123.
Leaza is an amazing mother to her children. It’s heartbreaking to see how they’ve been ripped apart
SAMANTHA PRICE