Postpartum psychosis made me think I was a prophet. I couldn't bring myself back.
Author Ayana Lage recounts her personal experience with postpartum psychosis, a severe mental health condition she developed after childbirth. She highlights the importance of awareness and medical support for mothers facing unexpected postpartum complications.
Why it matters
Raising awareness about postpartum psychosis is critical for maternal health, as many mothers are unprepared for the condition compared to postpartum depression.
Ayana Lage gave birth to her daughter in 2020 and shortly after spent 17 days hospitalized for postpartum psychosis. Courtesy of Ayana Lage Ayana Lage developed delusions and hallucinations after her daughter was born six years ago. She believed she was a prophet and the only one who could care for her baby. She worked closely with her medical team before deciding to have another child. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ayana Lage , author of " Missing Me: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis and the Long Road Back ." It has been edited for length and clarity. A little more than a week after giving birth to my daughter, I sat up in bed. "God is talking to me," I told my husband. I was a prophet and our daughter — who I increasingly thought of as just my daughter—was Jesus.
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