
A mother with postnatal depression who felt so guilty over pushing away her newborn daughter says she now photographs the toddler every day in a bid to say sorry.

Sujata Setia, 35, from Kent, developed postnatal depression following the difficult birth of daughter Aayat, three, in 2013.

After a 26-hour labour, the former TV news journalist and radio presenter struggled to bond with her daughter and felt 'angry and ungrateful' about being a mother.

Sujata Setia, 35, a former TV news journalist and radio presenter, had a difficult 26 hour birth and pushed her daughter Aayat, now three, away when she was handed to her by a doctor

The 35-year-old has now sworn to capture every moment of Aayat's life to apologise for pushing away a doctor holding the child as a newborn, and her ethereal images have gained her thousands of online fans. Many of the photos, which were mainly taken during a recent summer holiday to Devon and Somerset, feature the family's six-month-old British Bulldog Nawab Mustang

Sujata, who photographs Aayat, pictured with her pet dog, every day, said: 'I hope I will create enough memories for Aayat for her to be able to forget when the doctor brought her to me newborn and I shooed him away in anger'

She has now sworn to capture every moment of Aayat's life to apologise for pushing away a doctor holding the child as a newborn, and her ethereal images have gained her thousands of online fans.

Sujata said: 'I feel extremely guilty about pushing Aayat away as a newborn, but the physical trauma was so extreme. No one will ever truly tell you how difficult the process of labour is.

'Now I want to capture every aspect of my daughter and her relationships as she grows - her smile, her special moments, everything I want to cherish.

'I hope I will create enough memories for Aayat for her to be able to forget when the doctor brought her to me newborn and I shooed him away in anger.

'Motherhood is something no one can prepare you for and I feel my daughter did not deserve a parent who went through depression.

After a 26-hour labour, the former TV news journalist and radio presenter struggled to bond with her daughter and felt 'angry and ungrateful' about being a mother. Pictured, Ayaat with the family dog

Sujata felt extremely guilty about pushing Aayat away as a newborn, but hadn't realised how extreme the physical trauma of birth would be, and how difficult labour was

Vijay Lakshmi, Sujata's mother-in-law, pictured with the family dog, also takes part in the project, which sees Sujata taking pictures every day of her daughter

'I wished so many times I had never had a child and felt like I was failing her and myself - I felt like everything was falling apart.

'I didn't face difficulty bonding with Aayat at all, but I felt difficulty accepting my life had changed so much.

'From the outside motherhood looks like a perfect picture but when Aayat was born I realised the portrayal was very different to the reality.

'There was nobody around to tell me what's right and what's wrong. I was living in a constant state of fear of what I would do wrong.

'It was very challenging. Life suddenly changed too much and it was so difficult to accept those changes.

'In the process, I forgot to be grateful for what I had been blessed with.

Ayaat dressed up and appearing to board a train - part of the project of daily photos her mother Sujata takes

And about a month after Aayat was born, following a difficult pregnancy and distressing labour in which Sujata feared she would die and there were chances of a stillbirth, postnatal depression began to take hold

Aayat with her grandmother. Sujata suffered extreme lows and highs following her daughter's birth and while she always gave her the care she needed, she struggled to cope as a new mum

'Women are told we are born to be mothers but you don't need to be a born mother, you can grow into that role over time.

'My daughter has taught me how to be selfless and has made me fall in love with motherhood - now I can't imagine life without her.'

My daughter has taught me how to be selfless and has made me fall in love with motherhood - now I can't imagine life without her

Indian-born Sujata moved to the UK seven years ago when she married her automotive engineer husband, who is 40, but found it difficult to adapt to life in a foreign country.

And about a month after Aayat was born, following a difficult pregnancy and distressing labour in which Sujata feared she would die and there were chances of a stillbirth, postnatal depression began to take hold.

She suffered extreme lows and highs and while she always gave her daughter the care she needed, she struggled to cope as a new mum.

But during a trip to India to visit her mother Neelam Setia ten months after Aayat was born, Sujata decided to set up her own newborn and children's photography business - But Natural Photography.

Within weeks she had her first job and the professional snapper now has thousands of online fans who admire her work - and even teaches other photographers how to get the perfect shot.

She feels photography saved her during a difficult time and tries to capture images that will bring a smile to people's faces

While Sujata was prescribed antidepressants, she didn't take them as she felt that the only way to help with her problems was the help herself from within

Sujata's stunning images of Aayat, shared in a soul-bearing viral post, shows the tot standing in front of a herd of cows, greeting a sheep at sunset and even bidding farewell to a train conductor.

Many of the photos, which were mainly taken during a recent summer holiday to Devon and Somerset, feature the family's six-month-old British Bulldog Nawab Mustang.

Sujata said: 'Photography is definitely something my depression pushed me towards.

'I was having a major identity crisis, and I realised I could either do something new or let the depression get the better of me.

'My photography is all about storytelling and because of what I have gone through I try to capture moments which will bring smiles to the faces of people viewing the pictures, or give them hope.

Sujata wants to show that motherhood isn't a burden but the biggest blessing, and feels the photos will help her do that

She wants people to know that they are not alone, and wants her photographs to achieve that goal

'I cannot describe how grateful I am to photography for saving me from such a difficult stage in my life. It truly came to my rescue.

'I was prescribed antidepressants, but I did not take them as I believe the only way to truly deal with depression is to help yourself from within.

'Sometimes we feel depressed because our sense of identity is lost, so we need to make sure we do something to regain that lost confidence.

'Otherwise we will never be able to see clearly that motherhood isn't a burden but the biggest blessing.

'Every time I have spoken about postnatal depression online I have received criticism but there are many women having to deal with these crises on their own.

'It can be very difficult for mums to come out and say they are facing challenges or struggling to look after their child.