[Part 1 of 2] One day, Ariane Beeston looked at her newborn baby, Henry, and saw a dragon. And not a cute, happy dragon - but an upset, red-faced dragon. At that moment, Ariane knew something was very wrong. Other very wrong, very scary things were happening too.

A few months later, Ariane would be diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. But a diagnosis was only the beginning of her odyssey - one that would see her hospitalised twice, convinced that she didn’t exist, and worried that she might never be herself again.

This is a crucial story about maternal mental health and finding your way out of the darkness - and one that Ariane shares with Mia in this special two-part episode.

You can hear part two of Mia's conversation here. 

You can follow Ariane on Instagram here.

You can buy Ariane’s book “Because I’m Not Myself, You See” here.

LINKS:

If you or someone you know needs help, Ariane has provided these links to services:

COPE Website

eCOPE Directory of national supports and services

Ready to COPE app

PANDA Helpline

THE END BITS:

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CREDITS:

Host: Mia Freedman

You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures