‘I Thought I Was Carrying Baby Jesus’: Mother Battles Rare Postpartum Psychosis After Two Births

Matilda Omonaiye/

A 38-year-old mother, Adaure Dankwa, has opened up on her terrifying battle with postpartum psychosis (Abisinwin in local parlance), a severe mental health condition that struck after the birth of both her children and left her hallucinating, violent, and suicidal.

Adaure, who lives in Rainham, Kent, said the disorder first emerged weeks after the birth of her son, Junior, now four, when she suddenly became paranoid and convinced that her mother-in-law had tried to poison her.

The frightening mental breakdown quickly escalated into delusions that the world was coming to an end.

According to her, she began destroying household items in the home she shared with her husband, Emmanuel, 35, forcing him to physically restrain her out of fear she could accidentally harm their newborn baby.

“I thought I was the chosen one and that I was about to give birth to baby Jesus,” she recalled.

“I started pushing objects on to the floor, and my husband had to restrain me because he thought I was going to harm the baby.”

Eight weeks after childbirth, Emmanuel rushed her to the Accident and Emergency unit, where she was later sectioned and transferred to a psychiatric facility.
Inside the mental health unit, Adaure’s condition reportedly worsened as she became violent toward hospital staff and experienced bizarre hallucinations, including fighting what she believed were imaginary snakes.

“In the mental health unit I was extremely violent to staff,” she said. “I kept saying I wanted to kill myself.”

The project manager spent two months in psychiatric care, separated from her infant son during the period.

But the trauma resurfaced after the birth of her second child, Amara, now one.
Despite initially trying to remain calm, Adaure said another psychotic episode struck six weeks after delivery, once again plunging her into paranoia and hallucinations.

“I accused my mother-in-law of trying to poison me,” she said.
“In the hospital I was so violent, I was scaring patients. I pulled one lady’s wig off, I damaged the bed frames and pulled the curtains down.”

She was sectioned for a second time and remained in psychiatric care for another two months.

Following her discharge, Adaure said she battled suicidal thoughts and struggled emotionally before eventually recovering.

Now fully off medication and preparing to return to work, she says the experience transformed her outlook on life.

“I’m finally back to myself now,” she said. “This experience has helped me to look at the world in a completely different way.”

Health experts describe postpartum psychosis as a rare but serious mental illness that can occur shortly after childbirth. Symptoms may include hallucinations, paranoia, severe mood swings, confusion, and suicidal thoughts, often requiring urgent medical treatment.

Mental health advocates say Adaure’s story highlights the importance of early diagnosis, family support, and immediate psychiatric intervention for women experiencing severe postnatal mental health complications.