07/05/2025
I’m not a mum and may never have the honour of becoming one.
But I’ve coached pre & post natal women for over half a decade.
On World Maternal Mental Health Day, I just wanted to say that in my professional experience - the UK’s lack of infrastructure to support women through this seismic physical change is one of the biggest scandals of our generation.
In this country, the leading cause of death for women in the first year of motherhood, specifically between six weeks and one year after giving birth, is maternal su***de.
Are you shocked by that statistic? I’m not.
Day in, day out, I hear stories like these ones ⬇️
- I’ve coached a woman whose prolapse symptoms had been ignored and dismissed for years, so she’s now incontinent.
- I’ve coached a woman who was pressured to stop taking anti-anxiety medication ‘for the baby’ and then left to fend for herself as she grappled with panic attacks.
- I’ve coached a woman who was advised to ‘lose weight’ to help ease excruciating back pain, when in fact she had a slipped disc that was missed during labour.
If you feel isolated and worried about particular symptoms, there’s a network of advocates out there, I promise. Unfortunately, as things currently stand, it’s going to be up to you to find them.
From women’s health physios like , to midwives like , to communities like - you don’t have to navigate this alone.
