Hello,

I’m Julia, a nurse and a Mum to Evelyn (19 months), with one on the way.

My postpartum felt like I was wadding through mud and then quick sand with sleepless nights and overwhelm. It was a shock to the body and the mind like I never experienced or anticipated. My 6 week post partum check up was breezed over  too swiftly by my GP. Ticking boxes and asking if I felt low or depressed which didn’t address how I physically felt-heavy, depleted and sore (TMI, but haemorrhoids are not talked about enough in the post partum phase).

I did some research and wanted somewhere to turn to to address my depletion holistically. I was fortunate to come across a woman’s health physio who gave me a very thorough assessment of my pelvic floor and even some advice for my toilet troubles too. I also requested a full panel of bloods to check my iron, Vitamin D and overall health markers to see if there was any areas that needed boosting. This experience, turned passion, led me to enrol into a certified nutritional course to become a postpartum and baby nutritional consultant. I was able to further feed my curiosity on the issue of depletion and how women can help themselves feel strong again.

My point to this post is that culturally today as Mothers we have had to normalise the feeling of sinking and having to just get on with it. I think we deserve more than that and it takes a level of advocacy for ourselves to want to return to the sense of strength we had pre postpartum. Education on preparing for your postpartum with having the right fundamental tools of nutrition, movement and much needed support during the most transitional time in our lives in paramount to empowering us Mums.

Hopefully it will become part of the norm one day to have this much needed holistic care in post partum. Supporting a Mum to be strong and healthy can then ultimately have the same positive effect on her family.