This event will go live on Monday 9th November. You can watch the YouTube Live Premier here at 6.30pm, after which the film will remain available to watch on-demand. 

Please note this event comes with a trigger warning as we discuss difficult themes like depression, postpartum psychosis and suicidal thoughts.

Award-winning author and illustrator Laura Dockrill, had an idyllic pregnancy and couldn’t wait to meet her new baby. But as she went into labour and things started to go wrong, Laura began to struggle. A traumatic birth, anxiety about the baby, sleep deprivation and a slow recovery began to pile up until Laura felt overwhelmed.

As many as 8 out of 10 mums struggle in the weeks after birth; in Laura’s case these feelings escalated scarily quickly into postpartum psychosis – a medical emergency which affects around 1 or 2 in 1000 women.

In this honest, raw book, Laura shares the devastating reality of her experience – but also shares a message of hope. Not only has Laura slowly recovered – she’s come out of the other side stronger, and more assured about parenting on her own terms. Now she’s determined to break the silence around postnatal mental health, and with her story tell ALL new parents- you are not alone.

This event is hosted by Saima Mir.

This event is in partnership with Better Start Bradford for Baby Week Bradford 2020. Find out what else is happening at: www.babyweekbradford.org

 

About The Author

Laura Dockrill

Laura Dockrill is an author, illustrator and performance poet whose wonderfully inventive and vibrant approach to life is reflected in the rich and vividly imagined worlds she creates. She is author of YA novel Lorali and its sequel Aurabel, as well as the Darcy Burdock series for younger readers. Other books include Echoes, a collection of poems and short stories and a number of adult poetry collections. Her debut children’s poetry collection, My Mum’s Growing Down, was published in August 2017. Her latest book What Have I done?, an honest memoir about surviving postnatal mental illness, was published in 2020.

About The Host

Saima Mir

SAIMA MIR is a British Pakistani journalist who grew up in Bradford, where she started her career as a local reporter. She has written for The Times, Guardian and Independent. Her essay for It’s Not About the Burqa (Picador) appeared in the Guardian and received over250,000 hits online in two days. She has also contributed to the anthology The Best, MostAwful Job: Twenty Mothers Talk Honestly About Motherhood. THE KHAN is her debut novel. Saima lives in London.