Laura’s Story

Laura from Cardiff is a wife, a mum, a football fan and a talented baker who runs her own business. She’s also an NCMH Research Champion, helping to spread the word about our research. This is her story:

I’m a 31-year-old married mother of 2 (Jack and Poppy). I run a virtual PA company, Laura Jane PA and a part-time cake-baking company called Un, Dau, Tri…CAKE! which was named by my son – he would refuse to practice his Welsh counting further than three without getting a cakey reward! I’m also an avid Swansea City supporter.

I suffered from lots of health problems when I was pregnant with my son Jack four years ago, and was diagnosed with Post Natal Depression after he was born and prescribed anti-depressants.

My doctors eventually worked out that my health problems were down to my gall bladder failing. When I had the operation to have my gall bladder removed, I stopped taking my anti-depressants, thinking that I was ‘normal’, and that the illness was gone.

I love taking on new challenges, and wherever I can I try to help raise awareness of mental health causes.

A couple of years later, I fell pregnant with Poppy and became ill again. I was diagnosed with perinatal depression, but as I was already on anti-sickness medication, I refused to take more tablets during the pregnancy.

When Poppy was born, which was quite traumatic, my doctors wanted me to start taking my tablets again straight away. I didn’t want to, as I felt I had been ‘drugged’ for too long, and I wanted to spend some time with my newborn medication-free.

I ended up getting progressively more and more depressed, and I was diagnosed with Post Natal Depression again, and Post Traumatic Stress. Following several meetings we now believe that my Post Natal Depression had not gone away from having Jack.

Eventually I started taking my medication again, and this time there were no side effects. I am better now than I have been in years.