A mother who feared for her life during a devastating battle with postnatal depression has said she owes her survival to the specialist care she received at a Nottinghamshire healthcare unit.
A Desperate Journey for Help
Stef Scurr was 32 years old when she gave birth to her first son, Harlan. Despite the joy of a new baby, she quickly realised something was profoundly wrong with her own mental state. Initially supported by crisis and perinatal teams in her home county of North Yorkshire, the prescribed medication failed to bring any improvement.
Her condition deteriorated severely, leading to a moment of utter despair where Stef took an overdose. This tragic event, however, marked a turning point and became the start of her path to recovery. With no beds available locally, Stef and her husband, Andrew, made the agonising decision to seek help far from home.
They travelled to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at Hopewood in Nottingham. "This was the hardest decision as a family and the longest drive of our lives, and I was terrified," Stef recalled. "Walking into the hospital and leaving Andrew at the door was the hardest thing I've ever done."
Finding Hope and Healing
The unit became a home for Stef and Harlan for the next six weeks. Reflecting on her stay, Stef described it as both the worst and best decision she ever made. She attributes her life to the dedicated team at the MBU.
Debbie Sells, the ward manager at the Margaret Oates MBU, explained the approach that helped Stef recover. "With time, reassurance, treatment and staff giving Stef hope when she felt she didn't have any, we saw her recover and be discharged home," she said. The unit provided a vital safe space for the family during one of life's most challenging periods.
The positive impact was so profound that when Stef experienced depressive symptoms after the birth of her second child, she chose to return to the same Nottinghamshire MBU, despite being out of her local area.
Building Brighter Skies for Others
Full of gratitude, Stef and Andrew have since actively supported the unit through fundraising, visits, and gifts. Andrew expressed the family's deep thankfulness, stating, "If it wasn't for Nottinghamshire Healthcare's MBU and all the professional, caring, reassuring, patient, amazing staff there I'm not sure how things would have turned out."
Driven by their own experience, the couple has now launched a campaign named Brighter Skies. The initiative aims to provide better perinatal care and support for new families across Yorkshire and the wider UK, hoping to ensure others receive the life-changing help Stef found.
