Jade.postpartum

Sleep has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced since becoming a mother. Oscar has always been very wakeful and only started “sleeping through the night” at 2 years old. Even now, process of “going to sleep” is still something that does not come easy for us. Bringing up the topic of sleep is almost certain to result in suggestions such as: books, schedules, white noise, black-out blinds, “loveys”, sleep sacks, and all kinds of “techniques”. When you’re desperate for sleep, you’re bound to try all the tools and “tricks” out there that promise to have your child “sleeping like a baby”. But the truth is baby sleep IS supposed to be wakeful! This is biologically normal and not something you can “train” them not to do. Just as we cannot teach our children to walk before they are developmentally ready, we can’t get them “sleeping through” before they are ready. They all get there in their own time, and until that happens it’s important for us as parents to respond to our children as ...

For those of you that don’t know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormon”). Growing up, we said prayers, read scriptures and went to church every Sunday. I never questioned it, it’s just what we did.  I attended all the church classes; including early morning seminary in my teens and evening institute as a young adult.  I then served a mission at the age of 21. For those unfamiliar with the term, a mission is voluntary service for the church. I was assigned to the North-West of England and Wales for a period of 18 months. My mission was one of the most unique and profound experiences of my life.  The purpose of a mission is to “Invite others to come unto Christ”. This is not an easy thing to do,  and as an introvert, I was very much out my comfort zone. I learned not to judge people by their appearance; some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met were those who looked a bit rough around the edges.  I also ...

2022! What a year so far!? We spent Christmas in Adelaide with my family then we were off to Woolongong to visit Grandma Beryl. Travelling with children is exhausting, so two trips back to back probably wasn’t the smartest idea! Oscar is such a sensitive little guy, easily overwhelmed and overstimulated (much like his mama!). Travelling comes with a lot of changes, and it was easy to see that this was quite distressing for him. He gets very upset and clingy, and communication (which he is normally good at) becomes difficult.  The older that Oscar gets, the more signs I am seeing that point towards ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Speaking with some friends who also have children on the spectrum has been helpful and validating, and we have started taking the steps to get him properly assessed. If I’m completely honest, it all feels a bit too much for me to process at the moment. I think that when you become a parent, you just want to shield your child from anything that might make li...

What does mental health “recovery” mean to you? Is it a total absence of mental illness? I think that’s what I thought I would be able to achieve. However, I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen for me.  I feel that for me, recovery is learning how to manage my mental health. Taking care of myself physically and mentally so that I can try to stay within a range of moods that are manageable. I am slowly learning through trial and error what helps my mental health improve and what doesn’t. I’m trying to be gentle with myself because it’s inevitable that I will go backwards at times- recovery is not linear. It’s frustrating, it’s exhausting, but all I can do is keep trying. I had a wonderful getaway for my 30th birthday. Loved every minute of it, happiest I’d felt in a long time. Came home and pretty much had a mental breakdown.  I am finding motherhood so incredibly triggering because all of my suppressed emotions have come to the surface. Feelings need to be felt. If we do...

Those of you who have been following my mental health journey will know that it has been a hell of a ride! Up and down, back and forth and everything in between! I started this year feeling optimistic, hopeful and ready to have a much better year than the last. However, it didn’t take long for the tide to turn and drag me under again.  We spent most of this year in lockdown. It was déjà vu, Groundhog Day, I couldn’t believe that we were back here in this hole. People living outside of Victoria may not quite understand what it feels like to live under such tight restrictions for the most part of two years.  I imagine there are some reading, rolling their eyes and thinking “It can’t be that bad”... and maybe for some it wasn’t...but if you, like me, were struggling with mental illness and forced to live in isolation then yes, it is that bad...it feels suffocating. Back in March I started on anti depression and anxiety meds and after a few tweaks to get the dosage right, I was fe...

  Things have been so up and down for me lately. It’s literally one good day, one bad day at the moment, not very balanced at all...But at least I am having good days though right?!  🤪 Today is a good day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping a happy, familiar tune. I’ve got the doors and windows open and a refreshing breeze is sweeping through my nice tidy house.  *Ahhh bliss* I know it won’t stay tidy for long but it’s nice to enjoy it in this moment  😅 I’m reading an interesting book at the moment called “The Happiness Trap”. I’m only a few chapters in, but it’s quite fascinating. It’s about a mindfulness approach called ACT or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This is quite different to the popular CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).  CBT is a form of therapy that focuses on identifying negative and destructive thoughts and behaviours and changing/replacing them with positive ones.  ACT on the other hand, proposes that instead of trying to fig...

  I’ve really been struggling with my mental health these past few weeks. Living with anxiety and depression is exhausting. I don’t even have to be *doing* a lot, just *being* takes up so much of my energy. My when my mental health is bad I get triggered a LOT, and it doesn’t take much to tip me over the edge. It’s an obvious sign to me that when I’m getting triggered more than usual it probably means I need more help. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a new psychologist. I’m hoping that talking to someone different, with a fresh perspective and new ideas is just what I need. The psychologist I have been seeing previously has been very helpful to me. However, it feels like I got to a certain point and then I stopped progressing. I knew it was time to move on.  I know it can take a little while to find the right fit when it comes to therapy. Fingers crossed this one is a good match, because mental illness only gets worse when you don’t have the right support. In the meantime,...