About

Hi there!  I’m so glad you found my little corner of the internet and I hope you can find some comfort, relief and positivity here.

I began this blog in Spring 2015 following my difficult journey into motherhood and subsequent recovery from Postnatal Depression, Anxiety & OCD.  You’ll find tons of information here all about perinatal mental health, anxiety management techniques and being a loving, awesome parent in spite of our struggles.  In addition, we extensively discuss emotional wellbeing & self-care for parents.  For all my mental health content, start here.

If you would like to talk one-to-one please email butterflymum83@gmail.com or send me a message via my Facebook page.

I personally recovered many years ago.  My son is now ten years old and we went on to have a daughter too, who is coming up four.  Eventually motherhood was everything I imagined it would be, and it will be for you too.

I don’t often post new content here any more but there is a lot of existing material that I’m sure you’ll find comforting and useful, plus I’m still available for a chat via the contact details above.  You’re not alone.

I firmly believe in keeping a tight grip on your identity after becoming a parent and that we should all forget about being Perfect Mums and be Good Enough Mums instead.

If you’re looking for perfect Pinterest crafts you’re not likely to find them here but if you’re looking for honest observations, discussions and experience-sharing on every aspect of life with kids then you’re definitely in the right place.

Parenthood is a journey, not a destination, and I’m here to find the joy in it where I can. I hope you’ll join me!

Laura x

 

 

16 comments on “About

  1. Good job on your blog. I too was in your same situation. Loved the post on today’s postpartum progress. Is there a way to follow your blog so that I get an email when you post a new article.

  2. Your experience of PND is so similar to mine. Insomnia, anxiety and those awful repetitive thoughts. Almost too much for one person to bear. You express it all so well! Congratulations on your blog. PND was the single and worst thing to ever happen to me. To this day I am still amazed how my intelligent and loving family couldn’t see how desperately ill I was. Somehow I was saved thanks to the help of a brilliant PND expert doctor who finally saw how desperately ill I had become!

    1. I’m so glad you have been able to recover. It’s definitely the worst experience of my life too and, like you say, almost too much to bear. It WAS too much really but you have no choice but to struggle on, do you? When I was ill all I wanted was to find as many people as I could who had recovered, or were well on their way to recovery. Those stories gave me the shred of hope that kept me going. I made a promise there and then that should I recover I’d share my story with as many as I could to try to give that hope to others, hence the blog.

      Thank you so much for reading, and sharing your experience. And for your kind words.

      L x

  3. Reading your blog has made me realise how far I have come in 4 years. I have battled PND following both births but ever so slowly I have started to find me again. Sometimes she slips away but I know me is hiding in the background ready to be found.

  4. Hi Laura,
    I’m a freelance journalist writing an article about the RCGP initiative on perinatal mental health for Daily Mail Good Health. I would like to include a summary of your story and your interaction with the RCGP and Dr Carrie Ladd. Could you email me and perhaps we could talk on the phone possibly this evening Tuesday 9th or tomorrow Wednesday

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  6. Hi Laura,

    You and I have similar motivations for sharing ourselves online. I have a site that is focused on proper diaphragmatic breathing as a method for dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. The site is a ‘labor of love’ kind of thing for me as I have been dealing with anxiety my whole life. You are welcome to use any of the resources on my site, http://www.stop-anxiety-attack-symptoms.com if you like. Thanks for your comments on breathing and stress,

    Janice

  7. Hiya Laura,

    I am reaching out to you on behalf of Sophie Daniels, a mother, a teacher, an advocate for baby loss awareness and founder of Liberty’s Mother (links below), Her charity donates all its funds to TOMMY’s (links below as well), an organisation that provides lifesaving research and supports mothers and families throughout their pregnancy journey.

    Liberty’s Mother is a music project with an EP out now, dedicated to Sophie’s late daughter, Liberty, featuring the key song ‘I Can Love You From Here’ and with additional songs about family and friendship in the face of loss.

    Through the charity, we have organised events and gigs between now and the end of 2019, to bring people together and to raise money for a wonderful cause. I will link all the details below of course.

    We love your blog and the way in which you have been addressing the rollercoaster that is pregnancy in general. We would love to take part in your blog and join forces as we fight for awareness of Baby Loss.

    Liberty’s Mother EP – OUT NOW!
    Raising awareness & money for baby loss through music for Tommy’s, the baby charity. Through research, we can save babies’ lives.
    Please buy/stream the EP: https://orcd.co/libertysmother
    Please donate on our Just Giving page:https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/libertysmother
    Please come to the EP launch: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/libertys-mother-ep-launch-marylebone-london-tickets-68688088923
    Every penny raised goes to charity.
    More info: http://www.libertysmother.com

    LINKS:
    Website: https://www.libertysmother.com/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/libertysmother/events/?ref=page_internal
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertysmother/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/libertysmother
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyRBmEzfNV_QAhlnzeMPthw

    Thank you so much for your time and we are looking forward to hearing from you very soon!

    Maiya Smith (Liberty’s Mother Team)

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