CELINE Mills and her baby son Charlie were just finishing a session with the Journal photographer when I arrived at their home in Charlton All Saints.

They were a picture, on film or not - Charlie with his brown eyes, toothless grin and blonde hair and Celine (27) a happy, relaxed mother in sweatshirt and jeans who clearly adores her five-month-old son.

But it has been a very bumpy ride for Celine since Charlie was born on May 28. Within a week of his birth she developed postnatal depression, which remained with her for several months. It is an illness most women are lucky enough not to experience but it hits as many as one in ten, according to the Association for Postnatal Illness.

She was totally unprepared for it.

A confident, successful young woman - she is Salisbury District Council's economic development manager - she and her husband Jonathan wanted a big family and were very happy when she became pregnant.

Her pregnancy was fine - "I didn't even have morning sickness" - and she worked until two weeks before Charlie was born.

Nor were there complications with his birth, although he decided to arrive very quickly and a day early.

But by the end of the first week, even though Jonathan took a week's paternity leave, Celine was - in her own words - "in a state", crying, not sleeping and having difficulty feeding Charlie.

The health visitor advised her to see her GP, who was, said Celine, "absolutely excellent" and spent a lot of time with her.

He prescribed anti-depressants but Celine still found it hard to cope.

Her tears and sleeplessness persisted and, saddest of all, she didn't want Charlie. She would dress him, feed him and change his nappies, but she couldn't love him.

"We were so looking forward to him," she said wistfully, "and then I didn't want him. I just wanted everything to go back to what it was before he was born."

She couldn't concentrate on television or reading and the only thing she could eat was chocolate. She didn't want to go out. A few tough words, not necessarily to her, were enough to set the tears flowing.

Her GP arranged for her to see the community psychiatric nurse, who visited her regularly. Her parents came over daily from Wimborne and Jonathan's mother came down every week from Cambridge. "I just wanted someone around," she said.

In addition, the national Association for Postnatal Illness was very helpful.

"They say they don't know exactly what causes it," Celine said, beaming at little Charlie in her arms. "But the one thing they do say is that everybody gets better.

Gradually, gradually, things began to improve. Every day she would set herself a small task, increasing her goals step by step.

Now, her positive self once more, she is thrilled with her son. "We have bonded," she said happily - and she is hugely grateful for the support she has received from everyone from her GP to her husband.

"It is the worst thing that has ever happened to me," Celine said."The one message is, you will get over it."

The Association for Postnatal Illness, 145 Dawes Road, Fulham, London SW6 7EB, tel 020 7386 0868.