Cervical Check campaigner Vicky Phelan has opened up about her battle with post-natal depression.
The author explained that she felt resentment following the birth of her first child, who was born with parasitic disease toxoplasmosis.
“I knew what I felt wasn’t right,” she told RSVP.
“I didn’t understand that it was postnatal depression but at the same time I did resent her because I thought, ‘My life was fine until you came along.'”
“It’s something that people don’t talk about.”
“You can’t say to your friend, ‘Did you resent your child when they were born?’ You’re afraid that they are going to judge you.”
“It’s a very unusual thing to describe, and the only way I can is that you open your eyes and there’s just black.”
The cervical cancer awareness campaigner explained that she found it easier to live with cancer than with the depression she felt following the birth.
“You can live with cancer. I know that sounds ridiculous – but I’ve enjoyed my life over the past year and I’ve no depression.”
Vicky opens up about her experiences in her biography Overcoming.
