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From Playpen to Zen > Hanging By A Thread...And I Was
By Dr Mataji Kennedy
October 12, 2010
By Dr Mataji Kennedy
October 12, 2010
Hanging by a thread....and I was!
By Dr Mataji Kennedy
Clinical Psychologist
BA Hons (Psych), M Clin Psych, D Clin Psych, MAPS
I think as mums we are well prepared for the birth process. There is so much information and education around getting the baby “out”. But what happens when the baby is out. Then you need to be prepared for taking care of this little bundle and yourself.
I remember thinking just this as I was sitting in the hospital bed, 24 hrs after the birth of daughter #1. The real ‘what the ..’ moment for us was when we had bundled Audrey into her plastic capsule, left the hospital and were walking in the front door of home for the first time. She opened her tiny mouth and let out an almighty scream. I’ll never forget the bewildered look on Dave’s face and the sheer panic I felt, what do we do now?
My experience working with new mums in my practice, and my own experience, is that in the early days, weeks and months of parenthood we focus all our energy on taking care of this new baby. As mums we put ourselves at the bottom of the priority list and our self care is often pretty poor. What I have noticed is that a lack of self care along with several other factors can be the beginnings of post natal depression (PND). It is much more common than people think and affects 16% of new mums in the first year of motherhood.
PND can develop gradually over time and many women are not aware that they are experiencing it or are ashamed to admit they aren’t doing so well. There is also a perception that motherhood should just come naturally and if you are finding it difficult then you have somehow failed. I know I felt like this and it wasn’t until my partner said to me “I’m worried about you. I don’t think you are travelling too well” that the realisation hit. I did end up getting help and I started to make some changes including taking better care of myself. I got better.
It is this experience that has inspired me to write a book for new mums to help them take care of themselves in the first year of motherhood. Hanging by a Thread. 12 strategies for staying sane in the first year of motherhood is a small book that is very easy to read and it contains simple common sense strategies to help mums take care of themselves and to help in the prevention and treatment of post natal depression. There are stories of other mums who have been through it. It’s written in bite sized chapters so mums can read it when they literally have 5 minutes to spare and it’s beautifully presented so hopefully it will be a pleasure to pick up again and again. It’s a caring gift for any new mum.
It is my dream to get information like this in the hands of mums just before and after the birth, so they know what they have to do to ensure they have a good relationship with themselves, their baby and motherhood.
The book is available for $19.95 plus postage at
By Dr Mataji Kennedy
Clinical Psychologist
BA Hons (Psych), M Clin Psych, D Clin Psych, MAPS
I think as mums we are well prepared for the birth process. There is so much information and education around getting the baby “out”. But what happens when the baby is out. Then you need to be prepared for taking care of this little bundle and yourself.
I remember thinking just this as I was sitting in the hospital bed, 24 hrs after the birth of daughter #1. The real ‘what the ..’ moment for us was when we had bundled Audrey into her plastic capsule, left the hospital and were walking in the front door of home for the first time. She opened her tiny mouth and let out an almighty scream. I’ll never forget the bewildered look on Dave’s face and the sheer panic I felt, what do we do now?
My experience working with new mums in my practice, and my own experience, is that in the early days, weeks and months of parenthood we focus all our energy on taking care of this new baby. As mums we put ourselves at the bottom of the priority list and our self care is often pretty poor. What I have noticed is that a lack of self care along with several other factors can be the beginnings of post natal depression (PND). It is much more common than people think and affects 16% of new mums in the first year of motherhood.
PND can develop gradually over time and many women are not aware that they are experiencing it or are ashamed to admit they aren’t doing so well. There is also a perception that motherhood should just come naturally and if you are finding it difficult then you have somehow failed. I know I felt like this and it wasn’t until my partner said to me “I’m worried about you. I don’t think you are travelling too well” that the realisation hit. I did end up getting help and I started to make some changes including taking better care of myself. I got better.
It is this experience that has inspired me to write a book for new mums to help them take care of themselves in the first year of motherhood. Hanging by a Thread. 12 strategies for staying sane in the first year of motherhood is a small book that is very easy to read and it contains simple common sense strategies to help mums take care of themselves and to help in the prevention and treatment of post natal depression. There are stories of other mums who have been through it. It’s written in bite sized chapters so mums can read it when they literally have 5 minutes to spare and it’s beautifully presented so hopefully it will be a pleasure to pick up again and again. It’s a caring gift for any new mum.
It is my dream to get information like this in the hands of mums just before and after the birth, so they know what they have to do to ensure they have a good relationship with themselves, their baby and motherhood.
The book is available for $19.95 plus postage at
http://www.cart.com.au/gainingmomentum
For more info visit http://www.gainingmomentum.com.au
Mataji is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice on the Northern Beaches. She specialises in helping women adjust to motherhood and in helping women with Postnatal Depression. She can be contacted on 0414 301 237 or mataji@gainingmomentum.com.au. Medicare and health fund rebates available.
For more info visit http://www.gainingmomentum.com.au
Mataji is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice on the Northern Beaches. She specialises in helping women adjust to motherhood and in helping women with Postnatal Depression. She can be contacted on 0414 301 237 or mataji@gainingmomentum.com.au. Medicare and health fund rebates available.
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