Navigating pregnancy and postpartum in a new country, Lisa felt increasingly isolated without familiar support around her. When her newborn was taken to the special care nursery without explanation, and her concerns were repeatedly dismissed, she was left feeling unseen, unheard, and not held for years.

When Amber-Lee found herself unexpectedly pregnant, she knew life would change — but not in the ways she experienced. Through two pregnancies complicated by hyperemesis, a traumatic birth, and a challenging postpartum period, she navigated trauma, mental ill health, and the pressure of being ‘the strong one’ while silently struggling.

After a positive first postpartum experience, Jess never expected her next pregnancy to be any different — until she discovered she was carrying twins. As intrusive thoughts and compulsions intensified, her mental health rapidly declined, and the demands of caring for multiples compounded the feeling that she wasn’t enough. Despite support from acute mental health services, her symptoms escalated into hallucinations and psychosis.

Like many mothers, Sarah struggled during pregnancy to distinguish between normal symptoms and something more serious. With a history of health anxiety and chronic illness, this uncertainty was heightened — and at 35 weeks, her concerns were validated when she developed severe pre-eclampsia and nearly died. Sarah reflects on the trauma of a life-threatening pregnancy complication, the challenges of bonding with her baby afterwards, and the role of support and planning in recovery.

As a self-confessed ‘flaming extrovert’, Lauren struggled with the isolating and repetitive rhythm of early motherhood. With a history of IVF, miscarriage, pregnancy complications, and traumatic births, the intense love she felt after both births was overshadowed by the onset of postpartum depression by six months postpartum.