After Birth – All About Women 2026

Breaking the stigma surrounding motherhood’s most misunderstood crisis

Leading with compassion, this panel will dive into a perinatal condition that is increasingly talked about but remains widely misunderstood.

Along with overwhelming joy and love, new mothers are also told to expect exhaustion, low moods and hot tempers. The emotional extremes of “baby blues” and “mum rage” are all just part of it, right?

But what happens when panic becomes paranoia, when sleeplessness becomes delusion, and when, terrifyingly, reality cannot be trusted?

The much rarer cousin of postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis affects one to two in every 1,000 mothers. The early signs can look deceptively ordinary and be difficult to identify, but delayed diagnosis can lead to devastating consequences.

Early intervention is essential for the safety of mothers and babies alike — but how do we do this without risking a return to the centuries-old pattern of turning psychiatric labels into tools that control or silence women?

With Ariane Beeston, Anne Buist, Rachel Skillington and moderated by author and journalist Lauren Novak (Meltdown), this panel will illuminate the gaps in maternal mental health care, unpack the warning signs with compassion, and look to solutions.