99 - Emma Ashcroft - My unborn baby and I had Pneumonia and Sepsis, we are now stronger than ever.

Emma is a mum of five children and a military wife. After a pretty smooth pregnancy with her last child things took a turn for the worse right at the end of the pregnancy.

​Both Emma and baby were really poorly, they both had pneumonia and sepsis and it was clear little Ivy was going to need a lot of support when she was born.
 

The first two weeks of Ivy’s life were spent in intensive care; both of them were on IV antibiotics. After having had four straight forward births Emma was certainly not prepared for such a traumatic experience. To add to this her husband was just at the end of a six month deployment. Emma had been looking after the other four children on her own for that six months and her husband had been engrossed in his work. Suddenly they came crashing into each others worlds. Emma separated from her other four children and stuck on her own in hospital, her husband thrust back into the family setting to look after them while Emma and Ivy were in hospital.  
 
Thankfully both Emma and Ivy made a quick recovery but when Emma got home the reality of what had happened really hit home and post natal depression crept in.  She had already experienced some post natal depression after her fourth child so luckily both Emma and her husband were able to recognise the signs and they sought help straight away.

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The BeGlad Movement is aiming to collect 100 stories of good coming out of bad and reasons to be glad by the end of 2018 to help support each other with our experiences and to raise money for the Samaritans and Action for Happiness. If you would like to donate it would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/beglad