FIRST TIME MUM AND FEELING LIKE A FERAL, CORNERED CAT….

Around three quarters of new mums report of mental health issues. And those are the women who report it. Some women do not report it for fear of what people / GPs might think about them. Or what they worry might happen to them or the baby.

For me that is a staggering number and upsetting why women feel they can’t talk. It’s heart breaking to think women are struggling but scared to reach out. Stuck in a place where they feel is no help or support.

We know pregnancy and motherhood can be complex (and wonderful too!) and is most definitely life-changing but all the same, the figure for perinatal mental health is still a huge number and begs the question, what can we do different? How can we support women better? Where do we need to do better?

I know when I was first time mum, I felt hugely protective. Like an animal, having just given birth and wildly protective her young litter.

I instinctively wanted my babies close. But on the other hand I constantly questioned my own choices or what to do next type thing.

I also had a gazillion questions. My poor mother who was on speed dial (and present at both births) who was there to guide me through those weeks, answer my basic/big questions, let me rest or she would meet me in the coffee shop so I got out of the flat we were living in at the time and have some adult chat. We love our babies but peek-a-boo and that higher pitched voice you make at babies and puppies can get a bit much to be honest.

Looking back at that time, I feel there was a low-level of anxiety – the constantly questioning, the over-thinking, the back and forth in mind. I often couldn’t get clear, clarity was amiss. Obviously running on the square-root-of-fuck-all-sleep doesn’t help. It was mentally tiring, let alone the day-to-day care of a baby.

With my doula hat on, I always encourage mums to rest their minds and not just their bodies in the early months. We think it’s all physical. But it’s not. We NEED that recharge. To go again. To have some steam left for the night shift. To try and have some clearer thinking.

I have created a New Mum Mindset Guide which is in response to those staggeringly high number of reported mental health issues and how our emotional wellbeing is affected in this time. Something I have seen first-hand from my time as a doula.

The guide is packed full of info, ideas, practical how-to’s, things to try and do more of....

<< ACCESS YOUR GUIDE HERE >>

To give you a little taster:

Music is so emotive and immediately makes you feel good. When we think of something happy it releases the happy hormone in our brains. Music makes you feel happy. Get a few playlists on your ipad, pods or get Alexa involved - doesn't have to be loud.

Music will also calm the house and also gives you a good excuse to have a little jig!

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions on this stuff or if you need general support.

April

Jan 2022.