Why you don't have to love every second of mothering to love motherhood with perinatal counsellor & mother Gemma Smith

[CW: episode discusses postnatal depression and pregnancy and postpartum struggles]

Gemma Smith is a perinatal counsellor and a mother of two. She’s also a recovering perfectionist who was rocked by the intensity of new parenthood.

She did all the prep you can imagine a perfectionist doing - she hired a birth doula, did pregnancy pilates, birth classes, yoga for labour and birth, hours of reading and the list goes on… but, none of it really helped, because what she really needed was just to be able to talk to someone about the whole experience.

It comes as no surprise then, that her work today is deeply routed in helping women find their flow in motherhood. What I loved about this conversation with Gemma is that she somehow finds a way to talk about the heavy stuff while making me laugh.

Here, she shares the challenges she faced, why you don’t have to love every bit of mothering to love being a mum, and how her experiences have informed the way she helps mothers today.

She also talks about the identity shifts and struggles that come with falling pregnant on your first time trying, which is a really interesting and important perspective that most feel too guilty to talk about.

If you're in Australia and need mental health support in your conception, pregnancy or parenting journey, you can call the PANDA National Helpline (Monday to Saturday) 1300 726 306

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In acknowledging the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia, each episode, I’ll be doing a shout out to an indigenous business or charity doing great things.

This week, it’s Maara Collective. an Australian luxury resort wear brand that works closely with Indigenous artists and creatives, drawing inspiration from Country to present within the context of contemporary fashion.

With every product purchased they give back proceeds to support digital training and education in remote Aboriginal communities.

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