Perinatal Wellness

09/10/2021

This is a post about the Legacy of Trauma.

10 years ago today I gave birth to my second born. And it turned my life upside down – in not the right ways. Giving birth to him opened my eyes that a ‘healthy baby, healthy mum’ was not enough.

During labour my body reacted to old trauma because I felt unsafe and unsupported by my care givers – although at the time, and in the aftermath, I didn’t know that is what was happening.

I spent days, then weeks and eventually months replaying the birth over in my head. I was irritable and angry and would burst into tears if his birth was mentioned. My brain and body didn’t know how to make sense of it. I spent hour upon hour putting the pieces of my experience together and looking for ways to heal.

By the time my second child was born I’d already established myself as a psychologist in the child and family sector and worked extensively with trauma. I helped families transition to having a child enter their lives, supported them to develop attachment, and navigate their own mental health and wellbeing in the process.

But my son’s birth pushed me much deeper into the birth and perinatal space. Initially the legacy of his birth was my irritability and obsession with understanding my experience, and overtime it transformed into something beyond my wildest dreams.

The legacy of his birth turned into the doula support I’ve since provided birthing women in their birth space over the past decade. The legacy of his birth turned into the training I provided to 300+ doulas and childbirth educators across the far reaches of the globe (from Guam to Ethiopia to Israel to Slovenia and so many other places in between). The legacy of his birth flows on to all the women my students have then supported in their roles as birth professionals. The legacy of his birth has turned into the 5000+ hours I have since spent counselling other women through their journey towards and into motherhood. The legacy of his birth then flows into the generational impacts my clients healing then has on their children, and in future their children’s children and on it goes.

The legacy of trauma causes us to suffer. BUT, in healing it can also force us to grow and change. I would never have voluntarily opted to go through what I went through, but a decade on I would not change it in the slightest

17/03/2021

Just Imagine...
And just imagine the difference it would make for the baby too.
To be held when you are scared, to be comforted when you are alone, to be soothed when you are upset, to have a trusted person beside you when you need reassurance ... this is the Dance of Co-regulation. This is exactly how the Mum supports her baby to build the neural connections that will enable her to regulate her own physiological states as she grows.

02/11/2020

SNEAK PEAK: Pre-course content will be going live in a few hours!!!

You can still sign up here: perinatal-wellness.teachable.com

02/11/2020

This weekend, I had planned to do some last minute recording for my Managing Anxiety in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood program (link in comments), but I ran into a problem.

As I started to assemble my equipment I quickly learnt I was missing a crucial part of my tripod, without which pretty much rendered the rest of my equipment useless. A memory floated somewhere in the dark recesses of mind of me having had a rampage clean a few weeks earlier and feeling super proud of throwing out seemingly homeless items including the missing tripod piece - bu**er!

So thinking I would be clever I crossed my fingers and toes and took to social media asking my friends if anyone happened to have the same tripod and I could borrow the missing piece until I could order a replacement. Hours passed with no response, my adrenaline increased and I even took myself off for a walk through the nearing gale force winds to try and discharge some of my restless energy.

And then it happened. I got a reply on my post. Except it wasn’t the reply I had been hoping for. In fact, it was even better. Someone offered me their entirely different tripod! In hindsight it seems like such an obvious option. But in my stress fueled state I couldn’t comprehend thinking outside the box.

We all get into these stuck states sometimes. Some of us do it more often than others. There are even times our thoughts can become so all consuming that they take us away from the things important to us.

This struggling to think outside the box thinking is part of the reason I have launched my online course in Managing Anxiety. There are times we can all use some extra skills and strategies to help us out when our mind keeps going in circles (ironically if I had of been actually recording my problem solving module I may have actually figured it out for myself).

If anxiety has been getting you stuck in your thinking, feeling on edge, or distracting you from the present moment why not join us in the Managing Anxiety program - our pre-course content is getting released tomorrow. Would love to see you inside!

26/10/2020

Happy 11th Mummaversary to me

25/10/2020

Unsure of the difference between perinatal depression / anxiety / rage? Have a read of this article based on my recent fb live with Tell Me Baby.

We spoke to Narelle Horwitz, a perinatal psychologist and doula. She says anxiety is the most common reason women are coming to see her.

16/10/2020

To all my anxious mumma's - THIS IS FOR YOU! I hinted that something exciting was coming, and here it is.

My new six week online program for 'Managing Anxiety in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood' is now open for enrollments. We kick off in November - WOULD LOVE YOU TO JOIN US.

As a Perinatal Psychologist and Doula I have supported hundred's of perinatal women improve their mental health and well being during their pregnancies and early motherhood.

12/10/2020

Sneak peak of my Zoom'ing from home set up (I decided I'd remove the kids un**es from next to the chair for the benefit of the photo...).

How do you Zoom?

(P.S. Hope to 'see' you all tonight 8pm AEDT).

12/10/2020

This morning I've been chatting about what life looks like in 'real' mummy houses. And YEP my house is TOTALLY designed to be messy on purpose! Anyone with me?

11/10/2020

I'll be going live on Tuesday night with Tell Me Baby - what would you like to know about navigating this important transition from pregnancy to mother and newborn?

Don't forget to RSVP here: https://fb.me/e/4MfmIh4dX