We all know that motherhood comes with its own set of challenges, and sometimes, we could use a little extra support to navigate the ups and downs. At Release Counselling and Therapy for Women, we offer two types of support; Group Therapy and One-to-One Counselling, but which one is the best fit for you?

As the festive season approaches, the air is filled with the scent of cinnamon, Christmas classics playing on the radio, and the silent panic that seems to accompany the thought of a perfect Christmas. So let's take a collective deep breath. This year, let's trade perfection for a "Good Enough" Christmas.

Holly attended Mother Nurture after having her son in 2021, and created the photo exhibition Grow: A Journey Into Motherhood. Learn more about her story and see the exhibition here…

It wasn’t from day 1, it was really something that happened over a few weeks, maybe 2 or 3 months. It was like a steady unraveling that left me totally bemused, sad, lonely and depressed. I loved my baby, and I felt like I was a good mum; I mean I was feeding him, making sure he was attended to, and doing all the right stuff as far as I knew. But it’s like I didn’t know who I was anymore, and I felt like a failure in every other area of my life.

One Mum’s story of her Mother Nurture experience.

“It sounds a bit melodramatic, but attending Mother Nurture was a life changing experience for me. As a doctor, I’ve signposted plenty of patients to support groups without fully understanding the immense value they can have. I suffered from postnatal anxiety after my son was born, which was not severe enough to require support from mental health services, but significant enough to leave me feeling isolated and struggling.

It’s taken me a while to write this, and even longer to process it but I was prompted to write about my birth story (and maybe more about how I felt after the birth) because of Birth Trauma Awareness Week a few weeks ago. It’s been hard to start writing this because partly I’m not sure who will be reading it – I remember scaring myself silly when I was pregnant the first time around (and this time) by reading horror stories. But as much as I don’t want to scare expectant mums I also want to offer my experience to mums who may have had similar experiences to me…

Before I was pregnant I was desperate to experience pregnancy. I thought it was something I was made to do and I would absolutely love every second. My sister joked that I would be one of those glowing pregnant ladies and I secretly hoped she would be right. She wasn’t right. For a number of reasons, both physical and emotional, my pregnancy journey was not what I had imagined at all.

Something that I felt came out of our conversations today touched on something I think a lot of mothers (and fathers I’m sure) experience; anxiety. As I was walking home I remembered the saying that I’ve seen on several cheesy Pinterest style memes, “To be a mother is to live with your heart on the outside of your body.” And I think I’ve recognised how true that is, and how it makes so much sense that I only experienced anxiety after the birth of my first son.

It was the beginning of Spring and the early spring flowers and blossoms were already filling the garden, which I admired through the bedroom window as I rested, tired and heavy at the end of what had felt like a long and challenging pregnancy. It was also one week into the first national Lockdown, as Covid-19 was spreading exponentially across the globe.

Please be aware that this is written mainly from the point of view of me as a stillbirth mum (my son, George, was stillborn at 35 weeks) but also taken from things I’ve learnt online through the loss community. Please know that all losses are different (not “worse” or “harder”…different) and people will all feel slightly differently about theirs. Use your best judgement.

I’m Aimee, a Mum and full time Head of People for a healthcare charity in East Sussex. I went through Mummyshock and have since returned to work. The process for me has been supported and I have enjoyed getting that part of me back (and going to the toilet in peace!). I still saw some challenges including crisis of confidence, change in work pattern (twice) and childcare provider all within the first 6 months of returning to work so I hope the following pieces of information will help support you as you return to work.

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the thoughts that have gone through my mind since my little boy was born 2 and half years ago, in the hope that it might be reassuring to know that there is at least 1 other mum who has thought similar things to you, that you aren’t alone and that there is no need to feel guilty…

In my last post I wrote about how I’ve experienced more of a magnifying glass effect than magic wand moments in being a mum. The moments when I feel like motherhood makes me aware of the things I need to work on and change, rather than magically makes them disappear. I thought it might be helpful to share about one of the areas I’ve felt motherhood has held a magnifying glass to.

I remember before I became pregnant, and during pregnancy in fact, even in those early days of motherhood, I held this belief that some kind of magic transformation would take place. That giving birth to a baby would be like a magic wand being waved over my life. And that the moment I became a mother I would suddenly become a better person, that I would instantly be the mum I’d seen on Pinterest and Facebook, the kind of mum I had revered without realising.

I am early on in my parenting journey, with only a three month old and two and a half year old. I hear parents say to other parents-to-be that their one piece of advice is to ignore everyone's advice. I totally get this as you are bombarded with lots of (often conflicting!) advice which can sometimes be helpful, but often replaces your own instincts, which are your best guide.