It was meant to be the beginning of a new life for the young family, but little did Linda (not her real name) expect that her move to Singapore would spell the start of her troubles.

'As a mother, it's natural to feel jumpy about your child's every move and cry, but this is especially so when you're in a new environment,' said the 34-year-old first-time mother.

Her son was just three months old when they first arrived here from Australia a year ago. She left her job in the finance industry there to come and live in Singapore with her husband, who was posted to work in an investment firm here.

Unfamiliar with his new bed and the noise from the roads near their new home, her son would keep her up all night with his crying, she recounted.

'I worried that I wasn't taking proper care of him. I was emotional and sensitive all the time and felt like crying for no reason at all. My lack of sleep made the situation worsen quickly and I became a completely different person,' she said.

It did not help that Linda had virtually no friends or family in Singapore on whom she could count for support.

She recalled: 'When I told my husband how I felt, things would only get worse. He would blame me for feeling this way and would tell me to check myself into a mental hospital.

'Instead of getting the support I needed, I had to spend more effort trying to appease and calm my husband down each time.'

Two months of worries, chest pains and palpitations, sobbing and sleepless nights later, Linda decided to see a psychiatrist at KK Women's and Children's Hospital here.

She had been through a bout of clinically-diagnosed anxiety four years earlier due to the pressures of work. After seeing the doctor here, she was prescribed anti-depressants which paved the way to recovery.

'I didn't like being dependent on drugs but I knew that in order to take care of my child and family, I had to take care of myself first,' said Linda, who stopped taking medication six months ago.

She also began taking weekly yoga classes to learn to relax, read parenting magazines for pointers and joined two support groups for mothers organised by the hospital as well as the church she attends.

'It's always good to meet people in similar situations so you can talk about your problems and realise you are not alone,' she said.

However, Linda noted it is also important to attend groups where there is a trained facilitator who can direct the conversation and make it more structured. 'If not we would just be a group of 10 emotional women sharing sob stories, which may be even more depressing,' she said.

She convinced her husband to attend several counselling sessions with her and he has become more supportive now. 'I guess he just had to hear from the doctor that it was an actual medical condition,' she said.

Asked if the experience has put her off having another baby, Linda was quick to refute the notion. 'I'm more experienced now, more confident and more relaxed. I don't panic each time my baby cries like in the first six months and I know that I have loved ones who will be there for me,' she said.

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on Jan 29, 2009.