EP 26 | Hannah - Matrescence, Intrusive Thoughts, Grief & Letting Go of the Pressure to Perform Motherhood

<p>In this episode, Hannah shares her three postpartum experiences and reflects on how becoming a mother ultimately led her to her work as a perinatal counsellor.</p><p>We discuss:</p><ul><li>Becoming a mum unexpectedly at 26</li><li>Preparing extensively for birth but very little for postpartum</li><li>Hannah’s first birth and the early postpartum period</li><li>Navigating postpartum with a partner who had to return to work after only a couple of days</li><li>Feeding difficulties, concerns about weight gain and the anxiety surrounding growth charts</li><li>Feeling like she was failing at the very first hurdle of motherhood</li><li>Finding small anchors in the day through coffee, movement and connection</li><li>The impact becoming parents had on Hannah and Josh’s relationship</li><li>Why Hannah believes couples therapy can be valuable before a relationship reaches crisis point</li><li>Returning to paid work and the challenges of combining work, daycare and childhood illness</li><li>The importance of having an identity outside of motherhood, and Hannah’s changing relationship with that idea</li><li>Welcoming a second baby and the reality of postpartum while also caring for a toddler</li><li>The pressure Hannah felt to be a “superwoman” and prove she could keep doing everything</li><li>Returning to work in the perinatal space while struggling to prioritise her own wellbeing</li><li>Intense intrusive thoughts during pregnancy </li><li>How talking openly about intrusive thoughts gradually robbed them of their power</li><li>Hannah’s third birth and the healing experience of having her sister there</li><li>Navigating significant uncertainty around her dad’s mental health during pregnancy</li><li>Losing her dad shortly after her daughter was born and experiencing grief alongside postpartum</li><li>The stigma and discomfort that can surround mental health and why Hannah values talking openly about her dad</li><li>How grief forced Hannah to slow down and let go of the need to perform motherhood</li><li>Embracing motherhood as an important part of her identity</li><li>Hannah’s decision to train as a counsellor after her own experiences</li><li>Building a career predominantly supporting women in the perinatal space</li><li>Looking back at the version of herself who felt she had to keep pushing and achieving</li><li>Hannah’s reflection that there are no achievable “goals” in parenting — and the freedom that can come from taking some of that pressure away</li></ul><p>Y