Gaynor Faye knew there was something wrong when she saw a photograph of her herself with her one year-old son Oliver.

"I just saw how miserable I looked and realised that I was suffering from post-natal depression and had to do something," says the 36-year-old actress. Gaynor started to feel depressed shortly after Oliver, now seven, was born prematurely.

"I think I put a lot of pressure on myself. I had this new baby and was supposed to be so happy and enjoying life, and all I wanted to do was stay in bed. I wouldn't go out or answer the phone, I just wanted to shut myself away from the world," she says.

But for Gaynor that was impossible. She was writing and starring in the television series Playing the Field, and was even writing episodes from her hospital bed having just given birth to Oliver. She was back filming within six weeks of him being born.

"It was all just too much," she admits.

Unlike some people with post-natal depression she did not reject her new son, she just felt unable to enjoy being a mum.

"There is just so much pressure. I thought I was going to be super mum and take to it naturally, but I found it really hard and very isolating."

But it took that photograph for Gaynor to seek help.

"My partner Mark was very supportive, but he could not know what I was going through because he hadn't been through it himself."

She went to her GP who prescribed anti-depressants.

"I didn't like taking the anti-depressants, I didn't like what they did to me."

A practising Buddhist, Gaynor decided to try to get over the post-natal depression more holistically.

"I did a lot of chanting and took up yoga. It didn't work overnight, but I gradually started to come out of the depression and start to feel better about myself."

When she had her second child Lily, Gaynor knew the signs to look out for and she took 10 months off work in a bid to stave off the depression.

"I made sure that when I started to feel like I didn't want to go out that I forced myself to go out."

Oliver is now seven and Lily four and it is Gaynor's experience with post-natal depression which saw her open a special unit at Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust's Mother and Baby Unit which was opened by Gaynor's mum Kaye Mellor a year ago.

She suffered post-natal depression when she had Gaynor's older sister.

The Enhanced Healing Environment is a specialist service which provides mental health care and treatment to mums with severe post-natal depression and other mental health issues.

The healing environment includes a new therapy suite, conservatory and holistically landscaped garden designed to transform the recovery of mums in an environment where they can stay without being apart from
their children.

Gaynor said: "It's great that mums with post-natal depression have the best possible chance of recovery. It would really have helped
me to have somewhere like this to go to when I was poorly, to talk to people who have actually experienced post-natal depression."

The Enhanced Healing Environment project has been funded by an investment of £90,000 by the trust and a £30,000 grant from The Kings Fund. The soft furnishings and décor have so far been paid for by fundraising by staff and service users, including Bev Whittam who ran the London Marathon.

"Mental illness and post-natal depression are still taboo subjects, but it is so common," says Gaynor.

"By opening this unit and talking about my experience I just hope that it stops being a taboo subject and that more people will go and get help."




Depression: The warning signs


Ante-natal depression

Pregnant mothers may have mood swings during pregnancy and shout and cry at their partner. This is perfectly normal. But if you are constantly feeling down, finding it hard to concentrate, angry and anxious this may be more than a temporary blip and might need more careful attention.

It can strike at any time during pregnancy but appears to become more prominent during the third trimester (6-9 months).

Post-natal depression

Symptoms include feeling low and tearful for no apparent reason; extreme tiredness; irritability; anxiety; sleeping problems and difficulty making decisions and concentrating.

Post-natal depression usually develops in the first four to six weeks after child birth, however, in some cases it may take several months.

Post-natal depression is believed to affect at least one in 10 women and there are reports of men experiencing it, too.


What is the new unit for?


The Mother and Baby Unit at The Mount, Hyde Terrace, Leeds is a specialist service which provides mental health care and treatment to women during late pregnancy and up to one year after childbirth. The service is accessed from a range of health care professionals such as GPs and health visitors. It offers a range of treatment and support to mums, families and carers and also provides advice and information to professionals relating to ante-natal or post-natal mental health. The unit has four
in-patient beds, which allow mothers to be admitted with their babies. It means they can continue to care for them while receiving treatment and support. It is staffed by nurses 24-hours a day.

It also offers a day hospital for mums who do not require the level of support and treatment that requires them to be admitted. Mums are also provided with advice regarding medication during pregnancy and breast feeding.

For more information about the Mother and Baby Unit, visit www.
leedspft.nhs.uk