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I have been watching the Lindsay Clancy trial unfold over the past few weeks, with growing unease. Now, after weeks of testimony and intense public scrutiny, the proceedings have ended in a mistrial. Before I started my PhD, I knew very little about postpartum psychosis (PPP). I had briefly studied it during my Neuroscience and Psychiatric research bachelor’s and master’s degrees. But it wasn’t until I co-led the PRAM-P cohort study.

Pregnancy is a remarkable time of profound transformation for both the mother and the fetus. During these nine months, the pregnant person undergoes significant physical changes, including complex shifts in hormones and metabolism, which are essential to support the developing fetus. Alongside these physical demands, emotional challenges can increase levels of perceived stress and, in some cases, lead to mental health issues.

As a researcher working at the intersection of digital technologies and women’s health, it is always so empowering to see the latest advancements in FemTech (tech-driven products like apps and wearable devices to address female health, like pregnancy and menopause) such as menstrual blood being discovered as a valuable biomarker, and wearable products for menopause detection. It empowers me, as a South Asian woman in science, to do the work I do.

Breastfeeding wasn’t widely discussed in my family and not many of my friends had children when I fell pregnant with my child in 2021. I’m not sure exactly where the passion for breastfeeding came from, but it was certainly there long before I got the obligatory ‘breast is best’ leaflet from the NHS midwife. I was blessed with a healthy, textbook pregnancy at the tail end of the Covid-19 restrictions in the UK.