Nonfiction Nugget: Postpartum Psychosis

Welcome to the first post in my Nonfiction Nugget series, which I’ll be sharing on the blog about every other month, in addition to my PI Posts, Character Coffee Chats and regular post updates. Today’s Nonfiction Nugget is about a sensitive topic relating to mothers who are diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. While I won’t be sharing specific details about cases, I would still like to warn readers that the subject matter might be difficult for sensitive readers. Please take care as you read on and also be prepared, as some of the information I share might offer spoilers to anyone who hasn’t yet read the Jorja Matthews mystery series.  

Let’s begin…

When I began writing the first draft of No Mother of Mine, there were certain elements to the story behind the story that hadn’t completely been fleshed out. Because I’m an organic writer, I don’t always know details about the characters or their backstory until they are ready to share them with me. Believe it or not, but it’s true. One particular story that took time for me to understand was what happened to one of the characters when she became pregnant at an early age.

Now, I’m going to do my best not to offer up (m)any spoilers as we continue, but it may be difficult. Even if you just read the first in the series (No Mother of Mine), you’ll catch up to some degree but you’ll still risk spoilers if you don’t at least get through the second in the series (Best Kept Secrets) as well.

The story behind the story

For those who have read the series, and for those daring enough to hear spoilers before reading the novels, it was Gloria’s story that started it all. I have yet to complete the prequel to the series, which would include the backstory about Gloria, the “father” (I’ll leave his name out, to play fair with anyone who isn’t yet “in the know”) and a few other characters, but it’s a novel I do hope to share with readers at some point.

Gloria was young when she became pregnant; only fifteen years old. It’s not uncommon these days for teenagers to have babies, but for the sake of perception about the backstory, Gloria was brought up by parents who held on to their own upbringing when expectations were more like requirements. When marriage came first, babies second, and the mention of an unmentionable made families fear for what they might lose or how they’d appear to others if the truth came out.

Mothers who are not so maternal

Gloria got pregnant and I knew she was having twins, but when I first began writing the story, I also knew Gloria was going to do something terrible. What I didn’t know when I first began writing was whether or not she’d be able to accomplish her disturbing goal. As a private investigator and also as a legal assistant working for defense attorneys, I’ve been involved with and have heard about cases where mothers have attempted to harm their own children after birth. Sadly, some have succeeded. In fact, there are a surprising number of cases involving mothers who kill or attempt to kill their children.

The question behind each incident is always why?

Gloria had issues, to be certain given her intentions after giving birth, but like her daughter, Jorja, who was brought up by others after birth, I wasn’t yet privy to them. I didn’t make a conscious decision to do so, but as I wrote the first novel in the series, I went on a journey with Jorja as she discovered the secrets about her past and her birth mother. It felt more real and raw to be without all the facts as I watched her discover the truth about her birth parents, and wait to see how she’d deal with the knowledge about what her birth mother had been capable of, as well as the mounting secrets that kept revealing themselves as she continued to dig into her past.

Originally, if anyone had asked me why Gloria did what she did, I would have said I thought it was due to postpartum depression. The condition surrounding postpartum depression wasn’t unheard of and I was aware of attorneys offering that condition as a defense. Whether it’s a valid defense can certainly be argued, but many women do suffer from it and it’s a condition doctors regularly watch for in their patients. I even recall my own doctor asking particular questions to gauge my mental health after the birth of my boys.

But was it a condition that would cause a mother to harm her own children?

I knew that I was vaguely touching on the possibility that Gloria was dealing with depression after giving birth, but I also knew that because of how much her mental health had deteriorated, it was more than that. I just wasn’t sure what it was. It wasn’t until I was writing one of the later books in the series, as Jorja began to have more difficulty with her inner thoughts about whether she might become like her birth mother should she ever get pregnant, that I discovered through research what condition Gloria might have actually had.

Enter postpartum psychosis

Postpartum depression causes a temporary low mood and is often referred to as the “baby blues,” while postpartum psychosis is an extreme version of what mothers might go through after giving birth. It’s also rare compared to postpartum depression. Postpartum depression might affect ten to twenty percent of new mothers, while postpartum psychosis affects only one or two out of every 1,000 mothers. It may be rare, but because of the horrifying and unbelievable acts these mothers take against their own children, we’re more likely to hear about them.

Mothers with symptoms of postpartum psychosis might have delusions, strange beliefs and hallucinations with commands where they might believe God or even the devil is directing them. As I researched this condition in more depth, I realized it was a more appropriate diagnosis where Gloria was concerned. She believed she had to take responsibility for her sins and to her that meant giving back what she shouldn’t have had in the first place. Why Gloria felt that way couldn’t easily be explained in the series but would be exposed in more depth in the prequel, which is another reason I want to write it.

What’s sad about these types of cases is that most mothers who develop postpartum psychosis showed no signs of mental illness and had led completely normal lives beforehand. It might be difficult to understand, but some of the fathers in these cases have stood by their wives during the legal process. This is usually due to the fact that the husband knew something was wrong and even tried to get medical or psychological help as he watched his wife’s mental status deteriorate before his eyes. With the knowledge that something was terribly wrong and even fearing for the safety of their wives and children, the attempts to gain professional insight offered no help. Some husbands have gone so far as to file lawsuits against the doctors or medical facilities due to the ineffective treatment of their wives beforehand.

Life beyond the diagnosis

After the condition ravages the mother and causes her to do the unspeakable, and if she is treated and restored to competency in order to stand trial, she’ll have to face the horror of what she’s done and learn to live with it. I can only imagine that would be very difficult to do. Gloria’s parents placed her in a mental institution where she remained for many years afterwards, and where she had to come to terms with what she had done. I realize now that when I write Gloria’s story as part of the prequel, I’ll continue to learn more about what she went through and how, if ever, she was able to “live with it.”

I didn’t understand Gloria’s thought process or mental status when I wrote the prologue for No Mother of Mine and personally, I had a difficult time even writing about the possibility that she might harm either of her babies. But it was the one part of Gloria’s story that needed to be included in the novel and her story had to be told without my interference or reservations. As I learned more about the specific condition she could have been diagnosed with, I was once again surprised how information can flow through me onto the page even as I’m unaware of the whole picture. It’s as if the character let me in on a secret, if only by providing me with a little bit of detail so that I could later figure it out on my own.

Not knowing the whole story has its pros and cons but overall, as a writer I appreciate taking the journey with a character as we both figure things out. I hope as the reader, you will too.