Motherly acquired Motherhood Understood, continuing our mission of providing a woman-centered and supportive community for mothers. We are leaning into telling personal essays from mothers as a way that we learn, connect and feel less alone. Centered on the perspectives of maternal mental health, these stories are intended to help moms feel validated and seen.
"I reached out to my OB only to get shut down. He said there was a fine line between PPD and the baby blues."
"I was a boy mom for nine years. I had never had a mother daughter relationship with my own mother and something inside me kept telling me I was unworthy of my daughter. I just thought I was having normal pregnancy hormones."
"This is a hard journey. I don't know if I am ready. Can I handle two kids? Am I strong enough for this? Am I going to fail?"
"I had finally accepted something was very wrong. I needed help."
"My journey out of postpartum depression and back to my son was long and hard and there were days that I swore I wasn’t going to make it. There was not a light at the end of the tunnel. There is NOT a light at the end of the tunnel when you are in that darkness."
After my son was born, all I wanted was sleep. But I was scared of closing my eyes for fear of something happening to him during that time. I couldn’t shut my mind off from all the irrational thoughts running through it.
"I took on the identity of a strong person, who, despite having had an unstable childhood, was well-adjusted and thriving. I knew everyone had their own painful experiences and dysfunctional families. I wasn’t going to drown myself in mine."
Hello. I’m Hannah. I’m many things–a mum, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an HR professional. I have recently become the owner of a tech start-up. I have a degree in psychology. I’m a friend to so many beautiful people. I also have Bipolar Disorder.
"How does a 30-year old mom of two with no previous history of mental illness get admitted to the psych ward? This is where my memory fails me, but the diagnosis: Postpartum Psychosis."
After my son was born, all I wanted was sleep. But I was scared of closing my eyes for fear of something happening to him during that time. I couldn’t shut my mind off from all the irrational thoughts running through it.
After my son was born, all I wanted was sleep. But I was scared of closing my eyes for fear of something happening to him during that time. I couldn’t shut my mind off from all the irrational thoughts running through it.