Vrinda Modi Not Just Tired: The Darker Side of New Motherhood “134, we got a suicidal,” the radio crackles. As my EMS crew heads to the apartment, I think back to my training, where there was little instruction on how to help those experiencing suicidal ideation. A middle-aged woman sits on the couch, visibly exhausted and cowering from the police officers surrounding her. Her husband, cradles an infant gently in his arms, his face a mix of concern and helplessness. I turn down my radio, sit beside her, and begin asking questions, careful not to sound interrogative. She confesses feeling suicidal since giving birth three weeks ago, her voice trembling with shame. She hasn’t slept properly in days. Although she has no plan to harm herself, her worsening thoughts drove her to call the suicide hotline. Her mother-in-law enters, coldly urging her to “wrap things up.” The woman’s shame deepens when she refuses to go to the hospital, embarrassed by the stigma around postpartum de...
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