Monet
Los Angeles, 90008
During my pregnancy, I was diagnosed with antenatal depression and hyperemesis gravidarum—both known risk factors for postpartum depression. When intrusive thoughts emerged after my daughter’s birth, I did what we tell mothers to do: I asked for help. I called CPS and reached an answering machine. With no other option, I called 911 on myself while overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead of support, the police removed my child. Her father declined custody, and she was placed in foster care.
For two years, I have complied with every requirement: parenting classes, psychological evaluations, supervised and unsupervised visits, full-time employment, and graduating from UC Davis, yet I was repeatedly told my daughter would not be returned. Despite no diagnosed mental illness, CPS and the courts, largely untrained in maternal mental health, interpreted my request for help as evidence against me.
I sought assistance to protect my child, trusting the system would respond with care, and instead, I was punished for asking for help.
