07/30/2026
The truth is, I would rather not be writing this. But I knew that itch in my fingers to put words to paper wouldn’t stop until I did. So, here we are.
Your news feed is likely filled with the Clancy Trial…the one where a postpartum mother took her children’s lives before trying to end her own. She is on trial for the world to see, and honestly I’ve been avoiding it. Mainly because it’s just going to frustrate me to see how many ways the system failed this family. Because that IS exactly what happened.
A system working well doesn’t prescribe nearly 30 different medications to a woman in a short four months time and expect her to be safe.
Is Lindsay Clancy responsible for the deaths of her children? Absolutely.
Is she the ONLY one responsible for the deaths of her children? Absolutely not.
And I know there are many who hear this story and think, “How could she?! I would NEVER be capable of that!”
And you’re right…the you sitting down right now and reading this probably isn’t capable of murder.
But I bet you’ve never been in Postpartum Psychosis.
Because if you were in psychosis, you absolutely ARE capable.
When you are in such a deep psychosis that the idea of throwing yourself out a 2nd story window feels like the best answer - then yes, anything is actually possible.
Postpartum Psychosis (PPP) is a life threatening, medical emergency.
You are, quite literally, not in your right mind.
I remember as a new midwife witnessing my first case of PPP and let me tell you, it is easily one of the top 5 scariest moments of my career being in the room with her. I could not find any trace of the woman we had gotten to know all pregnancy. She was just…gone. In her place was an entirely different human who had zero grip on reality. So far gone, that I was actually concerned for the physical safety of our team being in the room with her, let alone her family and baby.
It was a battle to get her adequate help, because it seemed like there was no real “place” for her and every resource we found was lacking.
Years later, I would find myself on the phone with another newly postpartum mama who was dealing with intrusive thoughts and depression. I encouraged her to speak with her doctor to get some help. The next thing she knew, she was locked in a hospital room and the kids had been taken. The police were coming to transport her to a mental facility 2 hours away.
I raced there to meet her and will never forget her recounting, “Ashley, I knew they were on the way to get me because I could hear the shackles and chains as they were walking towards my room.”
Yes, you read that right. In this great modern age, these degree holding healthcare providers thought it would be good to put a depressed (low risk) woman in SHACKLES. A week later she was released from the facility, having received no true help or support plan.
Upon leaving, she looked me dead in the eyes and said, “I will never ask for help again.”
She was still depressed and unwell, the only change now was that she knew it was safer to stay silent.
That was the moment that changed me. I dug deep and educated myself. Took the trainings, wrote the protocols, gathered resources. Not so that I could become the hero, but so any woman sitting in front of me who said “I am feeling ____” would be met by a provider who was safe, educated and knew how to do the next steps.
I won’t get into the nitty gritty details of the Clancy trial, because I know there are a ton of details that honestly don’t matter here in this space. The tragedy has already taken place.
What I DO hope you walk away with is this:
Every single one of us have an opportunity to change these maternal mental health statistics.
If you know and care about a woman in her childbearing year, help her build a village so she isn’t alone. And then educate yourself on how to be a good villager.
If you are a healthcare provider who works with childbearing women, I’ll ask you this:
If Lindsay Clancy walked into your office today, would you know what to do next?
Do you know who to call in your community? Do you know how to write a safety plan and speak with family? Do you know how to tell the difference between normal intrusive thoughts verses those that require immediate medical intervention? Do you know how to identify and manage other Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders?
If you answered no to any of these questions, then I BEG you to make this your priority TODAY. The life of a mother and her children may one day depend on it.
As healthcare providers, as birth workers, as HUMANS - we can do more.
If you don’t know where to start, I’ve compiled some info for you. Just hit the link and scroll to the bottom to see a list of my top recommended courses and trainings.
Women can experience a range of emotions in the postpartum period. Your body is facing massive physical and hormonal changes in a short period of time - which can definitely leave you feeling like you're riding a little bit of a roller coaster. While some emotional shifts are a normal part of the po
