A dad has explained why he “hated” his newborn daughter in an emotional letter.
Ross Hunt welcomed his baby daughter Isabelle 11 months ago, and although he now loves her as any dad would, Ross says that when she was first born, he didn’t like her very much.
In an emotional letter shared on his blog, Ross explains to Isabelle that was suffering from postnatal depression.
He writes:
“This might not sound very nice, but for the first 12 or so weeks after you was born, I didn’t like you very much.
“There were times when I hated you. I regretted having you, and thought that my life had been ruined by you being born. I know that’s hard to read, but trust me, it’s incredibly hard to write too.”
Ross goes on to say that “these feelings I had were never me” and that he was experiencing “daddy depression.”
He says:
“My depression didn’t care how good or bad you was, it was just telling me not to love you, and to get away. But luckily, I didn’t listen.
“My life could be very different now if I did. But deep down, underneath all the dislike, fear and depression, lay a love that I knew was there, but one I just struggled to see.”
Ross finishes his letter by saying that whatever happens in the future, and no matter how he felt in the past, he will always love Isabelle.
He also says that he wanted to “get the conversation started” when it comes to mental health.
According to NCT, one in three new fathers are concerned about their mental health after having a baby.
You can read more about postnatal depression here.
