Share this @internewscast.com
A Massachusetts dance teacher took her own life amid intense postpartum depression, just nine days after giving birth to twins.
Ariana Sutton, 36, died at her home in Norton, 40 miles south west of Boston, on May 31, a-week-and-a-half after giving birth to her son Rowan, and daughter Everly.
She had previously suffered from severe postpartum depression when her daughter, Melody Ki, was born four years ago, and required emergency room treatment.
But Sutton and her husband, Tyler, an officer with Easton police department, decided they still wanted to expand their family, and had medication and a plan prepared, in case she was beset by further mental health issues.
Nonetheless, the speed of his wife’s decline following the birth of their twins took Tyler by surprise.
Ariana Sutton (left in black) killed herself while battling postpartum depression just nine days after the birth of her twins Rowan, a boy, and Everly, a girl
Sutton is pictured shortly after giving birth to her twins on May 22. She took her own life on May 31
The doting mom proudly showed her newborns to husband Tyler and daughter Melody Ki as the infants lay in an incubator. Tragically, Arianna will not be present to see them discharged from hospital in the coming days
‘I didn’t think it would happen so quick,’ he told Boston 25 News. ‘She loved being a mom. It was her favorite thing in the world, and that (her death) has nothing to do with (the children). If she could have, she would have stayed.’
The twins, a boy named Rowan and a girl called Everly, were born prematurely but are doing well and are set to come home from hospital in the coming days. Tyler Sutton is now faced with the prospect of bringing up three children alone.
He said he wants to raise awareness of the terrible impact of postpartum depression, which he said was not widely understood.
‘Get more people to focus on it and recognize that it’s a real problem and it hasn’t been talked about enough,’ he said.
‘When we first dealt with postpartum depression, we were in the dark. We weren’t prepared. We weren’t warned.’
His wife, who grew up in Easton before studying for a BA in dance education at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, loved her work and her family.
Melody is pictured with Rowan and Everly. The youngsters have been left without a mom as a result of last month’s tragedy
Tyler, pictured with his newborns, now faces the daunting prospect of raising his three children as a widower
She worked at the Starline Academy for the Performing Arts in Stoughton for five years, and then in 2013 bought the dance school with her sister, Rayna Flaherty.
‘Ariana thrived at inspiring children with the joys of dance and was an avid animal lover,’ her obituary states.
‘Her greatest joy was spending time with her family, especially her daughter Melody.’
But Tyler Sutton said the cloud of depression remained, and she was embarrassed by it.
‘It was like a lingering shadow behind her reminding her every once in a while, that it had happened and making her feel ashamed,’ he said.
He said the change in his wife, after the birth of their children, was shocking.
‘It was so odd to see this sudden change. And it was noticeable.
‘Like I said, we had a plan we put her on medication right away.’
Ariana and Tyler had discussed the prospect of her depression returning when deciding whether to try for more children.
They were delighted when she fell pregnant with twins, as it allowed the couple to welcome two more children with one pregnancy.
The couple had lined up a therapist and a psychiatrist, and thought they were prepared for it.
After the birth of Melody, it took months for the worst of the postpartum depression to take hold.
But this time it took days.
Ariana is pictured with her older daughter Melody shortly after her birth. The bond between mother and daughter is obvious, although the new mom struggled with depression
Ariana and Tyler are pictured on their wedding day. Her husband has been left shell-shocked by his wife’s sudden and tragic passing
‘We thought we had time,’ said Sutton.
Harrowing video clips shared by Tyler showed Sutton excitedly showing off her newborns in an incubator, just days before her death.
Another older video taken shortly after Melody was born showed Sutton’s evident delight in being a mother, and the close bond she shared with her adorable daughter.
A GoFundMe, set up to support the family, had raised $339,000 by Friday evening.
‘The weight of this tragedy is unimaginable, but together, we can offer our love, strength, and financial assistance to help this family through their challenging journey,’ the organizers wrote.
‘Ariana, a vibrant and devoted mother, was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her twins, Everly Irene Sutton and Rowan Stephen Sutton.
‘Unfortunately, their early arrival brought unforeseen challenges, placing an immense strain on Ariana’s mental health.
‘Despite her relentless efforts to seek help, the burden of postpartum depression became too much to bear.
‘Our hearts break for Ariana, her babies, and the Sutton family, as they now face the unimaginable task of moving forward without her.’
Source: DailyMail UK
