Massachusetts mother who died by suicide ‘excited’ for birth of twins

The officer and his wife were “excited” to welcome twins and “start the next chapter of their lives,” he told PEOPLE.Well he Raising Awareness About Postpartum Depression after she died by suicide.

Ariana Sutton, of Norton, Massachusetts, gave birth to twins Everly and Rowan on May 22 at Newton Wellesley Hospital, her husband Tyler Sutton said. She died nine days later.

Tyler hopes that by sharing his wife’s story, people will “talk” about PPD and “take it more seriously.”

According to Tyler, Ariana first experienced PPD after she became pregnant with daughter Melody, now 4. “It completely blew us away,” he recalls. “We weren’t ready for it.”

PPD is a major depressive disorder that usually presents to mothers during pregnancy or the postpartum postpartum period, Dr. Samantha Meltzer Brody, psychiatrist and director of the UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders, told PEOPLE.

Signs and symptoms include low mood, anxiety, rumination, sleep deprivation, inability to enjoy your baby or things you used to enjoy. Mothers with PPD may also experience negative thoughts that they are a burden or that life is not worth living.

Tyler recalls finding his wife “distressed” when she came home from the hospital. He says he did everything he could to help her wife because she had no contact to ask for help.

“My gut feeling was to take some time off and lead and create some kind of comfort that I would take care of her and try to play more of a parenting role to give her some rest,” he said. say. However, his efforts “turned out to be counterproductive,” Ariana said, noting that she felt Ariana should be her job because of what he was doing. “She started to think she was a bad mother,” she said.

The changes Ariana went through were initially small, “thinking I’m a new mom,” but gradually worsened, “eventually to the point where I had to seek help.” says Tyler.

“She tried to emphasize that everyone was giving her positive information and that everything would be fine, but it was as if a little person had moved into her head and everything we were trying to do was “It seems to have drowned out the positivity of ‘I’m going to tell her,'” Tyler explains.

Ultimately, Ariana was admitted to Newton Wellesley Hospital, where she underwent multiple treatments until a drug that worked was found. “She finally got her old self back,” he says.

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Over the next four years, Tyler said Ariana was happiest when the day was over and she was at home with her family. The two were cuddled up on the couch, watching TV together with Melody cuddling between her dad and mom.

“We were just sitting there and just enjoying each other’s company,” recalls Tyler. “She just looked at our daughter and she just smiled at how lucky we were. That made her want to have more kids.”

“She loved being a mother,” he added.

The whole family was overjoyed when the couple first learned they were pregnant with twins. “My daughter was looking forward to becoming a big sister,” Tyler said, adding that her wife was “excited to have two more children and to see the pregnancy in the rearview mirror.”

When it came time to arrive, Ariana gave birth ahead of schedule.according to GoFundMe page In a statement on behalf of the family, the premature birth of the twins “would cause unforeseen difficulties” for the “active and dedicated mother”, which would “immeasurably strain Ariana’s mental health.” said to have given

Tyler told PEOPLE that the babies are still being treated at the hospital and weigh over 5 pounds. Now I hope that I can go home soon.

“Now I can bottle feed more and more and not have to rely on a feeding tube,” he said, adding that while daughter Everly can breathe on her own, Rowan still needs “a little help” from a doctor. He said. This is typical of premature babies.

Tyler says the couple weren’t given much information about PPD during her pregnancy or even after she was hospitalized after giving birth to their first child. This topic just happened to come up and was never discussed in depth.

“If they talked to me about it, they’d probably talk to me once and then probably never talk to me about it again,” Tyler says. And when he realized he needed help, he didn’t know where to turn. “Most doctors and nurses are simply focused on childbirth and pregnancy, not what happens or happens afterward to care,” he added.

Meltzer-Brody believes that “every woman having a baby” and her family should be educated about PPD and potential red flags. PPD is one of the most common complications of childbirth and should be “part of every conversation” a woman has with her doctor before giving birth, she added.

“Every mother needs to make sure she understands what she understands. [PPD]’, Meltzer Brody tells People. “…Mothers should not suffer in silence, nor should families suffer in silence.”

With his wife’s story gaining national attention, Tyler said his goal was to get people, including doctors, to talk about PPD and have more resources to help mothers in need. rice field. It’s as simple as providing a phone number. For therapists and social workers.

“Ask for help doesn’t mean you’re weak,” says Tyler. “It means recognizing there is a problem and wanting to improve in order to go back to being the parent you want to be and start enjoying your family.”

There are effective treatments for PPD as well. “There are more treatments now than ever before,” Meltzer-Brody told PEOPLE.organizations like Postpartum Support International It provides resources for those in need, she added.

So far, he says, the Sutton family is saving lives “day by day, doing the best they can.”

Since her mother’s death, Melody has continued to lead a “normal life to some extent” as recommended. “She had a very hard time,” Tyler told PEOPLE. “But we were able to bring her back and get her back on track, so she could continue to be a four-year-old.”

Meanwhile, the family is “lined up” to get the twins ready to go home and is “enthusiastic” to help. “[I’m] I am so grateful to everyone who has reached out,” Tyler says. “It means a lot.”

An Easton police officer also said it gives him “hope” when he hears people participating in conversations about PPD.

“There may be people with issues who can avoid our story becoming theirs,” he added.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or texting “STRENGTH” to the crisis text line 741741. 988lifeline.org.