5 min read Perinatal mental health disorders affect 1 in 5 women during pregnancy and postpartum periods. Anxiety and postnatal depression (PND) are the most common perinatal mental health disorders. Bringing a new life into this world is a beautiful and life-changing experience, but it can also be a challenging one. Pregnancy and childbirth can take a toll on a woman's physical and mental health, and many new mothers struggle with perinatal mental health disorders, such as anxiety and postnatal depression (PND). It's crucial to prioritise your mental health during this period, as it can have ..read more

5 min read At the beginning of this month, I was invited to take part in a panel about the importance of creating community during pregnancy, the postnatal period and parenthood. This panel was part of an online event called The Power of Pregnancy and Parenthood Festival organised by lovely Vicky from The Birth Group.  It was such an interesting and inspiring conversation around a topic that is close to my heart and I believe is so important for mothers. In this blog, I will share with you some of the insights that came up and the main things we talked about in this panel. 7 Reasons Why ..read more

5 min read As we go through our journey of motherhood and life in general, we are constantly bombarded with messages from our culture, society, and media (including social media - hello Instagram!). All these external voices are trying to tell us ‘Who we should be’, ‘how should we behave’, ‘what should we care about’, ‘what makes a good mother/ woman/ wife/ friend’.   When we are going through big life changes such as a career change, going back to work,  moving countries or having children, when we can be particularly susceptible to all these voices. We are like a sponge absor ..read more

Motherhood can be isolating sometimes. Parenting during lockdown certainly made things worse, but the truth is it can be isolating also in normal circumstances. Motherhood can be isolating sometimes. Parenting during lockdown certainly made things worse, but the truth is it can be isolating also in normal circumstances. In the early days, I felt like I was carrying most of the responsibility of caring for my baby (even when I have a very loving and involved partner). Now, 5 years later I still feel like I’m the one who keeps on top of their physical and emotional needs. This is a BIG res ..read more

5 min read We’ve all been witness of the modern motherhood narrative. You have your baby and as soon as a couple of weeks later, you are supposed to go back out there ready to be part of the new mum lifestyle: going to all the mum and baby groups, breastfeeding ‘elegantly’ at the local caff, keeping your house, your children and yourself looking beautiful.  We are expected to loose the baby weight and as soon as possible and a few months later, go back to work and perform just as you used to before going on maternity leave. Paraphrasing matrecence educator Nikki McCahon: “we expect women ..read more

5 min read What is that you say…a new concept? The Family Mental Load? Transforming the Mother’s Mental Load Last week, I actually lost my sh***. Sorry to be graphic but I was carrying so much in my head that eventually, my stomach gave out. Everything I ate went straight through me, I was nauseous and exhausted, freezing cold and dizzy. Nothing particular had happened, no life event, no family drama- my brain just wore me out. We know that the gut-brain connection is extremely powerful and sensitive. I am already an anxious person who feels much through ‘tummy instinct’ (think gut-wrenchi ..read more

5 min read I got inspired to write about this article after listening to a very interesting episode from Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. It’s an episode about “Why We Struggle To Hear Our Intuition And 5 Ways To Learn To Trust Yourself”  What got me curious about this episode is that as mothers we are frequently told that we should listen to our intuition but, do we really know how to do this? Especially in those early days after having a baby and also later on as they move through the different developmental stages, we are faced with doubt as we have to take so many decisions that will ..read more

4 min read     Covid has brought our beliefs, habits, wellbeing and goals crashing to the ground. Why not use this opportunity to reshape motherhood so it is actually suited to Mothers? Christmas is a time of rebirth, forgiveness, acceptance and kindness. Perfect! We need a new foundation for modern Motherhood anyway. What better reason (although we should not need one) to reshape our role than COVID? When so much is in flux anyway?  Did you know that Motherhood as a concept is a man-made, fairly recent social invention, cobbled together through the eras, to look as it ..read more

5 min read 3 Simple Mindfulness Tips for Children and the Whole Family     Teaching mindfulness techniques to our children is like giving them a superpower to help them navigate life's challenges. Amanda Ashy   As parents, one of the hardest things for us to practice is staying calm and grounded when our child(ren) are experiencing their big emotions. One of the main reasons it’s so difficult to remain steady and calm is that the majority of us would have likely grown up unaware of our emotions and how to process them.  We didn’t have modern-day science teaching us ..read more

8 min read Back to work? Discover your new ‘working mum identity’.     In a world where motherhood is so often overlooked and underappreciated by society, I am so pleased to be part of an increasing amount of support that is now out there for new mums. Particularly when finding out what being a working mum is all about.  As a new mum myself I was able to find (if I looked hard enough of course) support for birthing my baby, feeding him and keeping him alive and thriving. I was able to connect with other mums, go to playgroups, pandemic permitting, and begin to embrace this ne ..read more