‘After having my baby I suffered from sleep paralysis and horrifying intrusive thoughts’

Lina knew she needed help, after experiencing intrusive thoughts, images and episodes of complete panic (Picture: Supplied)

Six weeks after the birth of her second child, Lina Perez knew she wasn’t coping and rang six helplines in an attempt to access support.

‘I told each one that I hadn’t stopped crying since my son was born,’ Lina, 31, tells Metro.

‘But I just kept being told to ring another number. One person even told me that if I was struggling to take care of my children, I shouldn’t share it, because I could have them taken away from me.’

It was soon after her son was born in July 2025, that Lina began to experience extreme anxiety, sleep p...