Real Stories
Lived experiences of perinatal mental health in Australia
Holding space for the stories we often keep to ourselves.
I know first-hand how isolating it can feel when you’re experiencing perinatal mental health challenges — like you’re the only one thinking or feeling this way. That’s why sharing lived experience matters.
These are real stories from mothers across Australia who have moved through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum while navigating depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and recovery.
My hope is that these stories help reduce stigma, offer insight into the support and services that can help, and inspire those on their own healing journey. More than anything, I hope you know you’re not alone.
Thank you for trusting me with your stories — it’s an honour I don’t take lightly.
Explore Stories by Experience.
All Episodes.
39 | Chloe
With a family history of postpartum depression, Chloe thought she knew what signs to look out for in perinatal mental illness. But immediately after both births, she experienced insomnia that escalated into psychosis — what she calls ‘the crash’. Chloe shares the intensity of postpartum psychosis, and the long aftermath of making sense of what happened and rebuilding a sense of normal.
What Listeners are Saying.