Shiona opens up over traumatic birth of baby boy

AFORMER Clyde 1 news reporter has spoken publicly for the first time about her posttraumatic stress disorder. After a 60- hour labour, Shiona McCallum’s son Ramsay was born, but he had to be taken to a neonatal unit for oxygen as he wasn’t breathing properly.

The pair had to spend the next eight days in hospital – but due to Covid- 19 restrictions, Shiona’s husband Michael was unable to visit.

The BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat reporter said: “I was in tears for most of that time. It was an incredibly stressful, isolating experience. Not having the support of my husband gave me incredible anxiety. I felt completely alone.

“It was heart- breaking to be forced apart and so unnatural when you have been looking forward to becoming a family for nine months. The situation was so hideous that I started to have panic attacks and as a result ended up staying in the hospital even longer.”

Shiona, who is originally from Glasgow but is now living in London, first experienced mental health issues after a car crash in Dubai eight years ago.

She hid how she was feeling for months which led to her having a breakdown.

The award- winning journalist said: “After my experience in Dubai, I’ve worked incredibly hard to prioritise my mental health.

“A big part of my recovery has been because of my husband Michael who has been an incredible support to me since the day I met him.

“Being without him during such a stressful event made me terrified I would go back to square one. But with his support since coming out of hospital and being able to talk openly about my experience, it has made me feel so much better.”

And after being unveiled as the first ambassador for See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, Shiona is encouraging people who are struggling with their mental health to ask for help.

Shiona added: “After my car crash, I tried to get back to normal and happened.

“Eventually, everything boiled up to the point I couldn’t cope. I just felt so low, and I cried every day. I felt ashamed and I hid it from everyone around me.

“I experienced a huge amount of guilt for feeling the way I did because I had so much to be pretend it hadn’t grateful for. But that just made things worse. I realised how scared I was of what people think.

“When I did tell my boss, she gave me as much time off as I needed and was very understanding. My colleagues, my friends and most of all my family were unbelievable.

“My recovery could have started sooner if I felt able to tell people.

“I stigmatised myself because I was so worried about what others think. That’s exactly what See Me is working so hard against.

“I survived and I want to help other people. I want to make it clear that anyone can struggle from mental illness.

“A mental health condition doesn’t make you a different person, it’s just one part of you. You can still achieve amazing things and recover.”

A mental health condition doesn’t make you a different person