Breastfeeding, Suicide and Bad Reporting

The tragic death of a young mother in New York last year has sparked a furious backlash over breastfeeding, as it has been revealed Katy Isden fell from the top high-rise building after experiencing breastfeeding difficulties. At least, that’s how the story has been reported.

This is what we know. Mrs Isden either fell or jumped to her death, four months after the birth of her son, Benjamin. The coroner has recorded an open verdict.

Her husband reported that she seemed depressed about breastfeeding difficulties and had been due for an appointment with a lactation consultant the day she died. Despite the supposed breastfeeding difficulties, he said she had “sought no help about that.”

A few things just don’t add up. Here is a mother, allegedly so depressed over breastfeeding problems that she has become suicidally depressed, and yet therre is no record of her seeking help for her difficulties. We can assume the baby was not malnourished or unwell, as his condition is not mentioned in the reports. Could this really lead to a suicidal state? Surely there must have been an underlying psychosis such as post-natal depression?

Mrs Isden was British by nationality, living in New York with her husband, away from family and support networks. Her father recalls that during a phone concersation with her mother, Ms Isden seemed ‘in distress, upset and unhappy’.

Her mother, Colleen, 54, arranged to fly out to visit her but the trip was put off until the following Monday because Mrs Isden had a friend stopping over for the weekend – possibly pushing her over the edge as she struggled to maintain face with her friends and New York associates.

Sure, breastfeeding difficulties can be a trigger for PND. But by going for the jugular of ‘breastfeeding nazis’ and ‘lactivists’ who suposedly put deadly pressure on mothers to breastfeed, have we not missed the opportunity to question how on earth a new mother becomes suicidally depressed and kills herself and no one – not her or anyone in her family has sought any help, support or advice?

The system failedMrs Isden. Through standard health checks with baby nurses and GPs, her mental health should have been evaluated. The awareness of PND should be raised so that if a family member notices that a new mother is depressed – whether breastfeeding related or not – they take it seriously. And new mothers themselves should be urged to seek help, support or advice before it is too late.

Women experiencing problems with breastfeeding can access a 24-hour breastfeeding hotline on 1800 Mum 2 Mum (1800 686 2 688) .
For more information, support and advice about postnatal depression, visit Beyond Blue.