Mum runs 84 miles between NHS units in Leeds and Chorley for maternal mental health

A mother of two has run the distance between two NHS inpatient units that helped her recover from the same serious mental illness after the birth of her children.

Rachel Lucas (33), who lives in Clitheroe in Lancashire, ran the 84 miles between The Mount Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in Leeds, and the Ribblemere MBU in Chorley. She started at 9am in Leeds on Saturday 6 June – pictured above with her partner James, her two children and staff from our Mother and Baby Unit who ran the first few miles with her. She finished the triple marathon in Chorley around lunchtime on Sunday 7 June.

Both units treated Rachel for postpartum psychosis – a rare and severe mental illness that develops suddenly and usually within the first two weeks after childbirth. Rachel has since gone on to make a full recovery and is now the proud mum of two healthy children.

She has also become a peer support worker for the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) for whom she’s raising money to help other parents who struggle with this illness.

Rachel has already completed the London Marathon this year – smashing her original fundraising target of £5,000. She’s now appealing for support to get her over the finish line for her new target.

“After the birth of our daughter Evelyn in 2019, I developed postpartum psychosis,” said Rachel. “It was a severe and traumatic mental illness that came out of nowhere. I experienced delusions, confusion and terrifying hallucinations. I was living in Leeds at the time and ended up being admitted to the Mother and Baby Unit there.

“It felt like everything had been ripped away from us at what should have been the happiest time of our lives. I genuinely believed I would never feel like myself again. I spent six weeks in the Leeds MBU at The Mount and I’m so grateful to them for helping me recover.”

Rachel, James and their healthy baby girl then moved to Clitheroe where she became pregnant with their second child in 2021. They worked closely with specialist perinatal mental health services and her midwife to create a care plan. In the plan they discussed medication choices, birth preferences and how treatment would look if Rachel experienced postpartum psychosis symptoms again.

Despite receiving excellent support from her local NHS teams, she began to experience early signs of postpartum psychosis again. The symptoms displayed themselves again as severe anxiety, insomnia and obsessive thoughts about her baby’s safety. This time the signs were recognised quickly, and Rachel was admitted to the Ribblemere MBU for treatment.

“James spotted the signs first and was able to raise the alarm quickly. Having prior knowledge, early intervention and support made a significant difference to my recovery the second time. Although it was still scary, I was able to speak up for myself and I remained closely involved in my baby’s care throughout my eight-week stay.”

Since being discharged with son Jude, Rachel has experienced depression and anxiety but has continued to recover with the right support. This has inspired her to campaign for APP – raising awareness of postpartum psychosis and maternal mental health.

“I want both mums and partners out there to know that you can get through it with the right support. If you know what to look out for, you can get the help you need quicker. That’s where support from dads and partners can be critical too. I would not be here today with my children if it wasn’t for the support we both got.”

Dr Gopinath Narayan, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead for the Yorkshire and Humber Mother and Baby Unit, said: “We are delighted to see how well Rachel has recovered from such a difficult time with postpartum psychosis – not once but twice. She is a real inspiration to other mums and partners going through similar issues and I hope her story helps others overcome their personal struggles.

“We were humbled to be involved in her amazing run for charity – and some of our staff team were proud to join her if only for the first few miles of her triple marathon.”

Pictured below is Rachel with her son Jude outside the Ribblemere Unit in Chorley after completing her run.

Help Rachel hit her fundraising target via her Just Giving page.

Relive the run on Instagram – follow Rachel @Rachel_lucas93 or visit https://www.instagram.com/rachel_lucas93/.

More about Postpartum psychosis

Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that can affect someone soon after having a baby. It affects around 1 – 2 in 1,000 mothers after giving birth.

Many people who have given birth will experience mild mood changes after having a baby, known as the “baby blues”. This is normal and usually only lasts for a few days.

But postpartum psychosis is very different from the “baby blues”. It’s a serious mental illness and should be treated as a medical emergency. It’s sometimes called puerperal psychosis or postnatal psychosis.

Find out more about it on the NHS.UK website.

Find out more about Action on Postpartum Psychosis

APP is a national charity for women and families affected by postpartum psychosis (PP). Find out more about them on their website.

Perinatal Mother and Baby Units

Find out more about the Yorkshire and Humber Mother and Baby Unit at The Mount in Leeds.

Find out more about the Ribblemere Mother and Baby Unit in Chorley.

 

For more information please contact:

The Communications team at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust via communications.lypft@nhs.net

The Communications Team at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust at communications@lscft.nhs.uk.

Lucy Nichol from Action on Postpartum Psychosis at lucy@app-network.org

Page last updated: 9th Jun 2026 3:57pm