Mina

Age at interview: 28

Brief Outline:

Mina noticed her blood pressure was high when checking it at home during her pregnancy, but she didn’t report it to her healthcare providers and it was never formally diagnosed. She has a family history of high blood pressure in pregnancy. After giving birth, Mina experienced postnatal depression, which has been made worse by their uncertain living arrangements and language barriers which make it harder for her to access support.

Background:

Mina is a 28-year-old woman from Iran who now has permission to stay in the UK. She was a hairdresser in Iran but is currently caring for her daughter full-time. Mina lives with her husband and their two-year-old daughter.

More about me...

Mina was not officially diagnosed with high blood pressure during her pregnancy, but her husband was checking her blood pressure at home and she believes it was high. She didn’t tell her healthcare providers though because her mental health was very poor at the time. Her pregnancy went to full term, and she had an uncomplicated birth. She’s been physically well since, aside from having a polyp removed about a year after her daughter was born.

The period after giving birth was very difficult for Mina. Apart from her husband, she had no family in the UK and found motherhood initially overwhelming. Breastfeeding was particularly challenging, and she wishes she had received more support with this and adjusting to life as a new mother. Although her health visitor offered some breastfeeding support, she found the advice she received from other mothers at a postnatal group more helpful. However, her limited English made it difficult to connect with people or ask for help and she has only met one other woman who speaks her native language.

Mina developed severe postnatal depression and is taking antidepressants, although she has not received counselling. She feels the uncertainty surrounding her housing situation is now her biggest source of stress and believes her mental health would be much better if she did not have this constant worry. Mina and her family have been told they must leave their current accommodation, despite having nowhere else to go. Her husband also needs hand surgery, which is adding to their worries because it will limit the amount that he is able to work. Although they currently have enough food, they struggle to pay household bills such as gas and electricity.

Mina doesn’t want her daughter to grow up as an only child and would like to have another baby but is too frightened of the impact on her mental health to consider trying for another child at the moment. She’s also worried about developing high blood pressure again and would like to know if there’s anything she can do to prevent this from happening.