We had the great pleasure of awarding her the prize for Best Product/Retail in the ‘Women who do’ Awards 2022. We sponsored the award and were blown away by the thought and care that clearly went into the creation of The Mama Diary, it’s a courageous effort to support the mental health of new mums.
Carla founded Mama Diary UK in 2017 which aims to help normalise the conversation on mental health in motherhood. A recent report revealed that as many as one in five mothers develop a mental health problem in the perinatal period (pregnancy to one year after birth). There are likely to be many more women struggling with periods of low mood, anxiety and/or stress in the early months and years of having children. In the context of a lack of affordable childcare and problems accessing flexible working arrangements, it’s no wonder women can find themselves feeling the pressure to juggle competing responsibilities.
1) It’s not you, it’s society. If you are struggling with feeling like you don’t have enough support, it’s not just you; we are not meant to raise our children alone – it takes a village. Over the generations, society has, generally-speaking, made our families smaller and we are less likely to live with older generations. We are more likely to move away to study or work, and be less likely to live near lots of family members. It’s also more common for parents of young children to be working, and for grandparents to be working. Sometimes, this can all add up to the young family feeling isolated. It doesn’t mean you are doing a bad job or that you are not good enough. Try getting to know other mums at baby groups, get involved in a local community group or seek out organisations like Home-Start who support families in the early years.
2) Don’t believe everything you think! It sounds strange, but thoughts are not facts. When we’re stressed, we are more likely to have negative thoughts about ourselves. Our minds are complex and incredible, and can just as easily imagine that you are a ‘bad mum’ as they can a pink elephant dancing on the moon playing a violin. It can be helpful to notice when negative thoughts happen, perhaps even by saying to yourself ‘oh there’s a negative thought’ and try to move forward without engaging with it.
3) You can’t pour from an empty cup. Refilling your cup can mean lots of different things, from having an hour to yourself to walk or have a bath, to paying for a cleaner to reduce the housework load, or to finding a way to work more flexibly to improve your work-life balance.
Website: www.mamadiary.co.uk
Instagram: @mamadiaryuk
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