Cambridgeshire mum says charity helped her heal childbirth trauma

When hairdresser Heather found out she was pregnant aged 21 she said it was exciting, unexpected and terrifying in equal measure. At the time Heather, from Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, was working full-time, planning a wedding to her partner Charlie and managing her anxiety and borderline personality disorder (BPD). She said her daughter's birth in 2023 was traumatic and led to her developing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the charity Home-Start, which is supported by Comic Relief, has helped her to turn her life around. "If it wasn't for Home-Start I might not have survived. They didn't just support me, they gave my life back - a life I once thought was impossible," she said. Heather, now 24, remembers vividly the day she found out she was carrying a baby. "We were planning to go to a sausage and cider festival and my mum joked with me that I'd better check I'm not pregnant. We bought a testing kit and it was positive, " she said. Heather said she knew the triggers of her BPD and had learned how to manage her emotions. "With BPD you can go from being on cloud nine to feelings of deep sorrow, but I was happy and in control, and looking forward to beco