Postpartum psychosis survivor shares her story of hope and recovery

Bridget María Chesterton, a New York history professor, is publicly sharing her experience with postpartum psychosis to raise awareness amid the Lindsay Clancy trial, emphasizing the condition is real and recovery is possible. She hopes to dispel misconceptions and offer hope to other families facing the severe mental health emergency. Chesterton developed the disorder about two weeks after her premature daughter's birth in January 2019, experiencing disorganized thinking, memory loss, and delusions that required two hospitalizations. She credits antipsychotic medication and strong family support, including her husband, mother, and a postpartum doula, for her full recovery within a year. Postpartum psychosis affects 1 to 2 out of 1,000 women after delivery, and while most don't harm their children, severe cases can lead to self-harm or harm to kids. Chesterton's poem about her experience will be published in a journal this fall.