'Postpartum psychosis convinced me I had killed my daughter - we need to talk about it more'

'Postpartum psychosis convinced me I had killed my daughter - we need to talk about it more'Jade Lloyd has shared her story of how her postpartum psychosis led her to believe she had done the unthinkable in order to raise awareness surrounding the rare mental illnessNewsEmily Driver07:37, 22 Apr 2026Updated 07:41, 22 Apr 2026View 5 ImagesJade began experiencing terrifying symptoms after her daughter was born, which led to her being sectioned(Image: Courtesy Jade Lloyd / SWNS)A mother has bravely opened up about her battle with postpartum psychosis that left her utterly convinced that she had killed her newborn daughter for weeks.‌Jade Lloyd, from Sherbourne in Dorset, was sectioned for four months after giving birth to her daughter, Penelope, in 2020. The 32-year-old suffered with extreme anxiety and intrusive thoughts, culminating in a terrifying episode in which she hallucinated that she had killed her own newborn daughter.‌The mother-of-one said: "I became terrified that I'd killed Penelope, and that my husband was keeping me in the spare room to protect me from what I'd done."‌View 5 ImagesJade was terrified she had killed her daughter, Penelope(Image: Courtesy Jade Lloyd / SWNS)READ MORE: Midwife put 'blue and floppy' newborn on mum's chest and said 'there's your baby', inquest hearsREAD MORE: 'Flesh-eating bug meant I was in a wheelchair for nine years and couldn't see my baby'Postpartum psychosis is a rare and rapid-onset mental health illness that affects around 1 in 1,000 mothers after giving birth. Unlike the milder mood changes of the more common "baby blues", postpartum psychosis is a severe condition with symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, mania and mood fluctuations.Due to the risk posed to the safety of the mother and the baby, postpartum psychosis should be treated as a medical emergency, with treatment often requiring hospitalisation of the affected mothe...