Today my husband said he’d been watching BBC Breakfast and that Anna Whitehouse (Mother Pukka) had been on talking about her experience with Postnatal depression and image. Knowing how passionate I am about this period in women’s lives he knew it was an interview I needed to see.
One thing Anna said she would say to herself was ‘I just had to finish this bit of work, I just had to get to the end of the day, I just had to get to the end of the week…’
“I just had to” My “I just had to” used to be “If others can do it, then so can I”
Looking back, with what I know now, my own little ‘mantra’ wasn’t really helpful. I wasn’t others. My journey was unique. If we give parents-to-be the additional support they need - and deserve - they’ll be better prepared to face the challenges that parenthood can throw at them. It doesn’t make parenthood a ‘walk in the park’ but it sure does make the beginning easier to navigate, and less lonely.
I’m extremely passionate about the postnatal period for mothers, essentially due to the fact that I’m absolutely amazed - no shocked - at the severe lack of support currently in place in our society at such a pivotal time in a woman’s life, when she becomes a mother for a first, or subsequent time. Granted there’s ever increasing focus given to birth preparation (which I teach) and that’s great, but we really, really, need to be supporting women for the next chapter, the fourth trimester and beyond… Becoming a mother doesn’t stop once you’ve given birth, quite the opposite, and that’s where we’re letting women and their partners down right now.
More to come on this over the coming months from bump & glide…
Thank you Anna for your honesty, your openness and your care for others. Through your interview, I strongly believe you will have touched a lot of hearts, and minds.
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