INDIANAPOLIS — A mother has now been arrested on charges of neglect of a dependent causing death. This follows the search for that mother and three-month-old baby that ended in tragedy Tuesday evening. The little girl - Emma - was found dead in her mother's car on the city's north side, while the mother was transported to Eskenazi Hospital for frostbite.
According to police, Rachel McAfee, 36, had been suffering from postpartum depression and might have been suicidal. On Wednesday RTV6 learned postpartum depression is a condition that one in nine women will experience, and one in five will have some sort of anxiety disorder.
"It was like my walls were caving in on me because my life was not the same," Chelsea Francisco said.
A few months after Chelsea Francisco had her first baby girl, she noticed she was acting unlike herself.
"Just feelings of down on yourself," Francisco said. "I am not a good enough mother. I can't care for this child."
Then, she felt the same strange feelings when her second daughter was born. "I was sitting in my room crying when the girls would nap and it's like I don't have anything to be upset about," she said. "Why am I upset?"
A beautiful family, you never would have known. But, luckily - being a nurse - she knew what this was. The mother reached out to her doctor and support system for help.
"Postpartum doesn't care who you are, how strong you are or what you've been through. It just hits you. It hits you like a truck."
Symptoms for postpartum depression can range from feelings of guilt, sadness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, anxious, tired, wanting isolation or to escape. The important part is to talk about it and seek help.
"Postpartum doesn't care who you are, how strong you are or what you've been through. It just hits you. It hits you like a truck."
"I think people are ashamed to but it's OK, you don't have to be feel bad about yourself because this is happening to you," Francisco said. "We didn't ask for it."
"There's a little bit of a stigma against it and people feel ashamed to say oh I had postpartum depression but it's OK. It's very normal it happens to a lot of women."
And, if you're unsure, ask yourself:
"Is this me? Sometimes you just have to ask yourself, is this me? Is this who I am, is this who I was before?" Francisco stated.
Never be afraid to speak up and tell someone before things escalate and symptoms worsen, affecting your life forever.
If you need help or resources, Postpartum Support International has a helpline: 800-944-4773.
There's also an Indiana Chapter of Women and they list statewide resources on their website, here.
