The Vulnerable Newborn of a Mentally Ill Mother in a Resource-Limited Setting

Mental illness is not uncommon in women of childbearing age. Pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum state could precipitate mental illness in predisposed women or worsen psychiatric symptoms in those known to have mental ill-health. Maternal mental illness exposes the infant to neglect, abuse or outright harm. We aimed to report a case of a neonate born to a mentally ill mother and to highlight the challenges of management of the mother-infant dyad in a resource-constrained- setting. The hospital records of the mother and that of her baby were summarized and the literature was reviewed to contextualize the report. The index newborn suffered neglect, late presentation, under nutrition, neonatal jaundice, anaemia, and late-onset neonatal sepsis with meningitis. Postpartum maternal mental illness poses a significant challenge to the management of the mother-infant dyad. This calls for the deployment of more human and material resources that will ensure integrated and comprehensive care for a better mother-infant dyad in resource-limited settings.