10/05/2026
Thank you to these brave mothers for sharing for Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week. It’s important we raise awareness of maternal mental health. Too often women can feel the need to be seen as coping, when in reality many women can struggle with their mental health around pregnancy and after birth.
“I have had two children 2021 and 2024, and after both my births I developed postpartum insomnia. I felt scared about how I would cope with such little sleep. However, with medication, specialist sleep therapy and support from family and friends things got so much better and I also learnt that I was so much stronger than I ever thought I was.”
“Pregnancy was not a fun time for me, I did not glow, the responsibility of carrying the baby safely to full term was a breeding ground for my OCD. However, my NHS midwife was specialised in mental health problems, and a psychiatrist supported me with my medication and taking whilst pregnant. Once my baby was born in 2021, I was allocated the support of an occupational therapist who was able to help me put methods in place to manage my OCD whilst being a new mother. I did not develop postnatal depression. And I think this was down to the perinatal support that I received.”
“After having my daughter in 2017, I lost the sense of who I was. I loved her deeply, but I struggled with my confidence, my body had changed, and also my purpose. I struggled with negative thoughts about myself and hated what I saw in the mirror. What helped most was opening up to my family and friends, telling them how I had been feeling and allowing myself to be supported. Small steps like prioritising myself helped me find me again.”
“I felt so low after having my first baby in 2013; I wasn’t prepared for the exhaustion, isolation and loneliness. I felt so lucky to have a healthy baby but so alone. My birth was classed as traumatic and the physical and mental recovery took longer than I’d anticipated. With the help of an excellent midwife, I joined some local support groups and found comfort in the encouragement of others. Slowly my injuries healed and I found new friends and happiness again.”
“I really struggled with my mental health after birth in 2024, I kept getting flashbacks to the birth and was unable to sleep. Just felt I was failing at everything and was struggling with breastfeeding. Thankfully I was able to access PTSD therapy through the NHS and local breastfeeding support and after a couple of months started to feel like me again.”
“I felt so low after having my first baby in 2013; I wasn’t prepared for the exhaustion, isolation and loneliness. I felt so lucky to have a healthy baby but so alone. My birth was classed as traumatic and the physical and mental recovery took longer than I’d anticipated. With the help of an excellent midwife, I joined some local support groups and found comfort in the encouragement of others. Slowly my injuries healed and I found new friends and happiness again.”
“I struggled with intense anxiety after having my baby in 2023. Feeding didn’t work out as I’d hoped, and I struggled when my husband worked long shifts. I was really afraid that I wasn’t good enough for my daughter and that she deserved better. With the help of talking therapies and medication I was able to realise, that I’m just what she needs. I felt shame about “admitting” something was wrong. But when I did talk about it, I found that lots of people opened up to me about their own struggles, and that we weren’t alone.”
“I really struggled with my mental health after birth in 2024, I kept getting flashbacks to the birth and was unable to sleep. Just felt I was failing at everything and was struggling with breastfeeding. Thankfully I was able to access PTSD therapy through the NHS and local breastfeeding support and after a couple of months started to feel like me again.”
It’s also never too late to access help for your mental health. It doesn’t matter what stage of the journey you’re on. If you’re struggling it’s important to reach out. You are never alone. There is someone to listen, someone to guide you to any help or support you may need.
