I love feedback. I used to think I didn’t because when you’re a psychologist and your Director says ‘good job’, it’s pretty hard to feel like that’s valid because they don’t actually SEE your work. Then when I had my beautiful baby, I suddenly realised that actually, I had been getting feedback from multiple sources– from the gym where I was encouraged by trainers and felt increasingly fit, from my friends who I would meet out and they would say nice things about what you’d

On the weekend my lovely friend and I were talking about those early days of motherhood when your partner returns to work. It immediately took me back to the front room of our old house, pacing up and back holding our baby, peeking through the blinds while praying to any Goddess who might be listening that this next car would be my husband’s. I was lucky. Though my husband was away quite a lot, when he was home, he’d usually walk through the door around 5:30pm. If he stay

The one sentence that changed how I dealt with ‘mum guilt’. I used to run a bit before I had children. When I worked in the city I figured out it took me about the same amount of time to run home as it did to catch public transport, and it was a great way to fit in a workout when I was time poor. The feeling of freedom was amazing. I would run home, sometimes in the dark and in the rain, and I’d feel strangely exhilarated. Shortly into my pregnancy running felt awkward, s

A few months ago, one of my friends wrote on our Whatsapp chat that her son had a hard time sitting still, and wasn’t interested in arts and crafts. One of the other mums noted that it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be (anyone who has found specs of glitter weeks after cleaning it up can relate), and that she wished her child was as active and as outgoing as the other mum’s child. It made me think. How would we have felt as children if we overheard our own mums having this con

Here's five things that might help. Feeling lonely as a new mum? You’re not alone. (Here’s 5 things that might help) I felt like I had anticipated quite a lot of things about motherhood - I knew I’d be sleep deprived, that I wouldn’t have much time alone, and that this little tiny human would change our social lives dramatically. One of the things that took me by surprise was the loneliness. I’d always been pretty social. I come from a big family, I played team sports and I w