confuddledDOTcom - my thoughts as a Nurse? Well its hard tbh, I take on board everything people have said here plus the fact that its "not real" and just a soap. I follow all the soaps and yes although storylines are not always entirely realistic they still do refect real life issues, so as such there will always be a plot that upsets or is too close to home for some.
And there will always be idiots who cant distinguish between fact and fiction - as demonstrated by the fact Samantha Womack was called a "murderer" in the street - which upsets me on so many levels I wouldnt know where to start.
However I feel it would have been much better - like everyone else - to just have had the cot death storyline, that would be tragic enough for any parent but particularly for a character like Ronnie given her past history with her children.
The issue I have with soaps given my profession is their portrayal of mental health issues - like the stereotypical image of a bereaved mother "baby snatching", mentally ill people have to face prejudice and stereotypes on TV. People can brand Ronnie "mad" etc - but although she has had trauma to deal with and may not have been thinking exactly straight taking Tommy - she doe not have a diagnosed mental illness.
Of course it could be said that she has developed Post natal Depression - she has not been acting "normal" since she took Tommy (and I realise a lot of people here who are upset wont be watching but she is not full of the joys put it like that) - he anxiety and feelings could be down to PND but to me just looks like guilt at what she has done.........and there lies my first issue with the storyline.
I could see someone snatching a baby in these circumstances but only if she was suffering from an extreme form of PND called Post partum psychosis - basically when someone becomes psychotic and loses touch with reality - but there has been no signs or symptoms in Ronnie - the Mum can become a danger to herself and her baby. For example she may believe her baby is the devil and needs destroyed.......or in EE case she may have truly believed baby Tommy was hers and someone had replaced him with a dead baby. Upsetting but can happen.
However Ronnie realises Tommy is not hers - and the symptoms of anxiety she is now experiencing down to guilt - when she has not lost contact with reality to feel this.
It could also be explained by a "moment of madness" down to extreme grief - taking the baby initially, but it cant explain why she has kept him and not handed him back regardless of the ramification for her relationship with Jack and the sanctions he may have faced from others.
And yes abuse victims can be mentally affected by their past but in my experience this does not cause psychotic reactions - generally - more common are long term self esteem issues leading to depression and possibly self harm - and not snatching a baby.
From memory about people who have snatched babies and made the media - they are "bad" not "mad". And I may be wrong as this is only my opinion these people are more likely to be doing it after pretending they were pregnant to their partners?
So to sum up I think they should have made it clear if Ronnie was mentally ill - which they didnt - or made her give the baby back asap after realising the consequences of her actions, especially for Kat and ALfie.