Am I Recovered?
It was quite obvious to me when I was unwell. For some sufferers of PND, the depression or anxiety creeps in and grips hold slowly, and can take a horribly long time to recognise what’s…
The Power of Peer Support
They say it takes a village to raise a child but, in 2015, where the hell is our village? Many cultures around the world celebrate the birth of a new member of their community by…
A Love Letter
Dear Little Caterpillar I thought of you for a long time, way before you were a cell, or an egg or even a twinkle in Daddy’s eye. Way before I knew Daddy. I dreamed of you when I…
Hope is a good thing
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” The Shawshank Redemption I want to talk about the power of hope. Many symptom lists for perinatal mood and…
Grieving The Missing Happiness
Looking at baby photos of your child should evoke wonderful, happy and loving memories of those first months or years together. For me, the love I feel is indeed intense; I squeal at how impossibly…
Antidepressants For PND & Anxiety
The truth is I didn’t want to take antidepressants. No. Way. I’ll confess, before this experience I think I may have even been part of the mental health stigma. It’s really hard to admit that but…
My Postnatal Depression Recovery Story
“Postnatal Depression recovery stories.” These were the only words I typed into my browser for weeks. My anxiety was incredibly high, I genuinely thought I was losing my mind. Instead of cuddling my son or…
Great Expectations
Nothing demonstrates my skewed expectations of early motherhood better than a message I sent to my best friend actually asking her if she enjoyed changing nappies. This is one of the few texts I’d been…
Putting back the layers
When most people describe depression they talk about a black cloud or fog. For me, it was less about life becoming clouded and more about finally being able to see the truth. And that “truth”…
The Birth of the Butterfly
“Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and…he was a beautiful butterfly!” Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar One of the greatest transformations in nature is that of the caterpillar…