Healing after birth: Unveiling the silent struggle of postpartum depression

By Ivan Lucy

Lyn (pseudonym) fights back tears, overwhelmed by emotion during the interview (Image: Ivan Lucy)

In the vibrant maternity wing of Matata Hospital, joy fills the air—laughter echoes through the halls, congratulations are exchanged, and gifts are unwrapped in celebration of new life. Yet, within the same walls, a silent grief lingers. In one quiet ward, Lyn sits alone, weighed down by a pain invisible to those around her.

While other mothers cradle their newborns, Lyn is left with a memory marked by loss. Her prolonged labor ended not in a baby's cry, but in silence. A nurse held up her lifeless son, gently patting his back to no avail. That moment has haunted her ever since.

“I was shattered,” she recalls. “I was alone, emotionally scarred—and that was the beginning of my mental toll.”

Lyn’s experience marks the onset of postpartum depression, a condition affecting one in five women globally. But for her, the signs were missed. No psychological support was offered. She was discharged without counseling, only to later discover that her baby’s body had been discarded in a cardboard box and dumped in a hospital waste pit.

“I never got to bury my son. I don’t have a grave to visit. I don’t have peace,” she says, fighting back tears.

Back home, her sorrow deepened. Lyn avoided visitors and spent hours in silence, staring at the baby clothes she had bought with such hope.

“Giving them away was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” she says. “They were the only part of him I had left. Nobody seemed to understand what I was going through.”

Four months later, unable to bear the weight of grief, she returned to work early—cutting short her maternity leave. “I didn’t feel deserving of postnatal care. I had no baby. Going back to my empty house just tore me apart.”

Her symptoms—persistent sadness, emotional numbness, guilt, and hopelessness—mirror the classic signs of postpartum depression, particularly in cases of traumatic birth outcomes like stillbirth.

The hidden impact of stillbirth

Psychologist Dr. Kyengo says the lack of emotional support is one of the leading contributors to maternal depression. “Often, the baby becomes the center of attention, while the mother’s psychological needs are ignored. This can lead to rejection, despair, and even suicidal thoughts,” she explains.

Having experienced a miscarriage herself, Dr. Kyengo understands the emotional toll. “It took me a year to recover from my own depression,” she shares.

She underscores the importance of timely intervention. “Postpartum depression is treatable. Therapy, hormonal treatment, and emotional care make a big difference. Recognizing signs early—such as mood swings, low self-esteem, and chronic fatigue—is critical.”

Dr. Venue Kyengo, a psychologist at Myndspa Mental Health Clinic, during a mental health awareness session (Image: Ivan Lucy)

Yet, many healthcare facilities in Kenya and the region remain ill-equipped to address maternal mental health. While physical recovery is often prioritized, emotional care receives minimal attention.

Health experts caution that postpartum mental health issues can begin during pregnancy or emerge up to a year after childbirth, with around 20 percent of new mothers affected.

Cracks in the system

In June 2023, the Ministry of Health launched a strategy to incorporate mental health into maternal care services. However, challenges such as inadequate staff training, limited psychological tools, and inconsistent implementation hinder progress.

A proposed community-based monitoring tool aimed at strengthening maternal mental health has struggled to gain traction in rural and underserved regions.

At Homa Bay Teaching and Referral Hospital, Dr. Julius Ondigo says antenatal clinics include mental health screenings to detect early warning signs.

“We monitor symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, or emotional detachment during pregnancy, especially in high-risk mothers. These signs guide early intervention,” he explains.

Dr. Ondigo notes that stillbirth significantly increases the risk of postpartum depression, particularly for mothers with a history of trauma or mental illness. “These women require sustained psychological follow-up. The emotional wounds can be just as deep as the physical ones.”

He also highlights the role of hormonal shifts after birth—particularly fluctuations in estrogen, oxytocin, and adrenaline—as potential triggers for postpartum depression.

In rural areas, more severe cases are typically referred to larger hospitals for specialized care.

A grief too heavy to bear alone

For Lyn, the company of well-meaning visitors often intensified her pain.

“There came a time when I didn’t want anyone at my house. Every visit reminded me of what I had lost. I’d rather be alone than pretend to be okay,” she says.

Today, she is slowly rebuilding her life. But she remains convinced that adequate mental health support would have eased her path to healing.

“If someone had just helped me process the pain, I wouldn’t have had to carry it all alone. A little support could have made a big difference.”

Lyn’s story is a stark reminder that childbirth is not always a tale of joy. For some mothers, it marks the beginning of a silent battle—where healing takes courage, and surviving the storm becomes the only way forward.