Amy Hipwell can’t remember anyone sitting her down for a serious conversation about her mental health.
In five years, Hipwell and her husband Chris endured a rollercoaster of heartbreak, anxiety, grief and joy, welcoming two healthy children into their family, but also losing three to stillbirth, miscarriage and a rare genetic disorder.
Despite the devastating and compounding grief, the first person to suggest the new mum might need some support for her mental health, apart from her husband, was not a doctor. It was her cleaner.
The couple’s firstborn daughter Emily was stillborn at 28 weeks due to a suspected clotting issue in the umbilical cord.
Soon afterwards, Hipwell suffered an early miscarriage.