ABOUT

1 in 7 women will experience postnatal depression. That's a fact. Another fact: I became part of the 1 in 7. ​

Firstly, I'd like to extend sincere gratitude for visiting this page. It means so much to me.

I'm a 24 year old mum from South Australia. I experienced bouts of depression and anxiety in my teens - and I am a trained social worker - so I knew the difference between being mentally fit and being unwell. I am passionate about mental health and supporting others.

1 in 7 women will experience postnatal depression. That's a fact. Another fact: I became part of the 1 in 7. 

Cadence's birth was traumatic. Breastfeeding was excruciatingly tricky. And I hadn't slept longer than 1 hour since Thursday night. It was now Tuesday - 3 days postpartum. But I remembering saying to Brad: "I don't know why there's a hype about this day three blues business. I definitely skipped that part".

We were so excited to be home. But it suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea what I was doing. I had read what felt like an entire library's worth of material on pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. Suddenly, breastfeeding wasn't working - I was in pain. She wouldn't sleep. I started to doubt my capacity as a mother.

There is strength in vulnerability. You can be stronger than the stigma.

The anxiety hit me first. At night, I went to bed at 6pm to escape it. I would sob under the covers - I was exhausted beyond words - but I couldn't sleep. This went on for a while. I felt utter despair and cried most of the days. Brad took 6 weeks off work. I felt robbed of my daughter's newborn goodness.

​"Uh oh", I thought. "Do I have postnatal depression?" I went onto the Beyond Blue's website and completed the Edinburgh Scale (click here to do the same). I soon realised that I was quite unwell.

I remember the doctor saying: "if you score higher than 8, we might have a problem". He didn't even finish scoring. 

Mental illness has a stigma all on its own - but postnatal depression feels different. It makes you feel undeserving of your child, guilt and so isolated.

But it shouldn't be this way. Parents and their families should feel welcomed, supported and accepted. We should feel honoured that someone struggling is willing to share this. There is strength in vulnerability. You can be stronger than the stigma.

I have found a strength within me that I never knew existed, a compassion for myself that I would have never imagined and my authentic self. I share all of this with you here today. 

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Social Work - Charles Darwin University
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) - LivingWorks Australia
• Mental Health First Aid Course - MHFA
• Recognise & Respond Appropriately to Domestic & Family Violence - Lifeline
• Introduction to Transpersonal Art Therapy - Ikon Institute of Australia​​
• Beyond babyblues: Detecting and Managing Perinatal Mental health Disorders in Primary Care - ThinkGP

FEATURED