Perinatal Stories Australia

• 44 | Natalie - insomnia, anxiety, quasi-hallucination, CATT, medication, psychiatric ward, hypnotherapy, Hospital in the home (HITH), MBU, talk therapy

  Just when she thought the debilitating anxiety of her pregnancy was behind her, Natalie found herself pushed to the brink by insomnia. What began as ten sleepless nights quickly unravelled into terrifying hallucinations and inescapable panic that she would never be able to sleep again. In this raw and deeply moving episode, we sit with Natalie for part two of her story as she reveals the emotional toll of sleep deprivation and divulges one of the most vulnerable moments of her life: the unexpected mental health crisis she faced in early postpartum. With heart-wrenching honesty, Natalie recounts the moment she asked her husband to leave the room so she could confide in the Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT) about her hallucination, the bittersweet decision to separate from her newborn baby in the hopes of finally getting some sleep, the desperation she felt when her prescribed sleeping medication did not work, and the unwavering support of her family as they witnessed the darkest hours of her crisis in the emergency room and the acute mental health ward. This is not just a story of survival. It's a story about the profound difference that compassionate care can make, about the urgent need for better access to mother-and-baby mental health services, and about the importance of breaking the silence around perinatal mental illness. Above all, it’s a reminder that in our darkest moments, being held - both physically and emotionally - can be a lifeline. Whether you’re a parent, partner, healthcare provider, or simply someone who cares, Natalie’s story will stay with you for a long time and show you that there is help, there is hope. Please note, this episode discusses suicidal ideation. Go gently.   EPISODE SPONSOR This episode of Perinatal Stories Australia is proudly sponsored by Mums Matter Psychology—because your mental health matters. Frances and her expert team of psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists are passionate about providing affordable, high-quality mental health care for pregnant women and parents with children up to 4 years old. Through Medicare bulk-billed therapy sessions—up to 20 at no cost to you—they make support accessible to everyone. If you’re in Victoria, visit one of their welcoming clinic locations. Outside Victoria? Their nationwide Telehealth services bring care to your fingertips. Mums Matter Psychology also offers a range of online therapy groups and webinars, providing additional ways to access support and connect with others on a similar journey. Ready to take the next step? Visit mumsmatterpsychology.com to learn more and book your appointment today.   FOLLOW the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @perinatalstoriesaustralia for more maternal mental health stories, education, advocacy, and community. PLEASE leave a review or rating on your favourite apps or consider buying me a coffee (well, preferably a tea!) :) VISIT the website perinatalstoriesaustralia.com to share your story or to see more content from the podcast guests. MADE WITH LOVE by Rebecca (host, founder, storyteller) x

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• 43 | Natalie - pregnancy, anxiety, insomnia, quasi-hallucination, Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT)

  Like so many of us with antenatal anxiety, Natalie downplayed her symptoms and clung to the belief that she would find relief from the all-consuming worry and insomnia when her baby was finally in her arms. But instead of finding relief after birth, Natalie’s symptoms only grew stronger. In this heartfelt episode, Natalie shares in excruciating detail the messiness of mental health during pregnancy and recounts how a flare of her pre-existing autoimmune disease and a ‘high-risk’ label only fuelled her tireless need for reassurance: fixating on the baby’s movements, counting down the days until the next scan at the hospital, scouring Facebook groups to compare stories, and trying to interpret doppler readings on Google. This is a story I hear all too often, and one that I personally know all too well. This is a story about the human mind’s desperate attempts to find safety from constant anxiety and insomnia. This is a story about deep love and deep fear, and how closely those can exist side-by-side. This is part one of Natalie’s raw and profoundly relatable story. If you’ve ever felt consumed by anxiety in pregnancy or early postpartum, or know someone who has, this episode is for you. Please note, this episode discusses suicidal ideation. Go gently.   EPISODE SPONSOR This episode of Perinatal Stories Australia is proudly sponsored by Mums Matter Psychology—because your mental health matters. Frances and her expert team of psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists are passionate about providing affordable, high-quality mental health care for pregnant women and parents with children up to 4 years old. Through Medicare bulk-billed therapy sessions—up to 20 at no cost to you—they make support accessible to everyone. If you’re in Victoria, visit one of their welcoming clinic locations. Outside Victoria? Their nationwide Telehealth services bring care to your fingertips. Mums Matter Psychology also offers a range of online therapy groups and webinars, providing additional ways to access support and connect with others on a similar journey. Ready to take the next step? Visit mumsmatterpsychology.com to learn more and book your appointment today.   FOLLOW the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @perinatalstoriesaustralia for more maternal mental health stories, education, advocacy, and community. PLEASE leave a review or rating on your favourite apps or consider buying me a coffee (well, preferably a tea!) :) VISIT the website perinatalstoriesaustralia.com to share your story or to see more content from the podcast guests. MADE WITH LOVE by Rebecca (host, founder, storyteller) x

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• 42 | Kristy - depression, birth trauma, anxiety, history of mental ill health, ADHD, medication, GP, talk therapy, psychiatry

  Whenever Kristy struggled with anxiety or depression in the past, she coped by keeping herself busy. Even when she endured years and years of IVF and ICSI, she coped by keeping herself busy. But when she experienced birth trauma and a sudden decline in her mental health during postpartum, none of her previous coping mechanisms could be relied on. Instead of throwing herself into exercising three times a day, working on weekends, starting projects, learning a new skill, doing puzzles, building Lego, or reading, Kristy was confronted by the stillness of motherhood. Then, after nine months of depression, culminating in suicidal ideation, Kristy went to her GP for help, where she was confronted by an unexpected, but enlightening, diagnosis: ADHD. In this heartfelt and insightful episode, Kristy shares the many ways she is managing her ADHD and mental health in motherhood, while reflecting on the lessons she has learnt along her journey and celebrating all the friends who have helped her every step of the way. If you’re an older mum, if you’re a mum who has undergone fertility treatments, if you’re a mum with a history of anxiety or depression, if you’re a mum who is navigating ADHD in motherhood, or if you’re just an all-round awesome human being, then this episode is for you.   EPISODE SPONSOR This episode of Perinatal Stories Australia is proudly sponsored by Mums Matter Psychology—because your mental health matters. Frances and her expert team of psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists are passionate about providing affordable, high-quality mental health care for pregnant women and parents with children up to 4 years old. Through Medicare bulk-billed therapy sessions—up to 20 at no cost to you—they make support accessible to everyone. If you’re in Victoria, visit one of their welcoming clinic locations. Outside Victoria? Their nationwide Telehealth services bring care to your fingertips. Mums Matter Psychology also offers a range of online therapy groups and webinars, providing additional ways to access support and connect with others on a similar journey. Ready to take the next step? Visit mumsmatterpsychology.com to learn more and book your appointment today.   FOLLOW the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @perinatalstoriesaustralia for more maternal mental health stories, education, advocacy, and community. PLEASE leave a review or rating on your favourite apps or consider buying me a coffee (well, preferably a tea!) :) VISIT the website perinatalstoriesaustralia.com to share your story or to see more content from the podcast guests. MADE WITH LOVE by Rebecca (host, founder, storyteller) x

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• 41 | Chloe - melancholic depression, anxiety, birth trauma, insomnia, history of mental ill health, MBU, ECT, medication, psychiatry, talk therapy

  It’s nearly impossible to think about Chloe’s story without thinking about all the places where she navigated the worst of her anxiety and melancholic depression: the hospital where she was left parenting in a traumatised body after a retained placenta; the inner-city Sydney suburb where, shockingly, she could not access any maternity support services; her in-law’s house on the other side of Sydney where she moved to create a village but could not sleep; and the local esplanade where she pushed the pram and fought against her suicidal ideation every day. That’s not even mentioning the emergency department, the short-stay psychiatric emergency care unit, and eventually the mother-and-baby hospital (MBU) where she was admitted for two months, all of which were integral to her story. In each setting, Chloe not only faced unenviable symptoms, but she also had to confront her own unwillingness to ask for help, the lies depression made her believe, her own trauma around electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and the question many MBU mothers grapple with ‘when will it finally be my turn to go home?’ This is Chloe’s profound story, what she calls her real reckoning and dark night of the soul, that explores the realities of experiencing and recovering from an acute mental health episode in early motherhood. It’s a story about losing and finding yourself again in the most unexpected of places, but above all, it’s a story about finally coming home. Please note, this episode touches on suicide and suicidal ideation. Go gently.   EPISODE SPONSOR This episode of Perinatal Stories Australia is proudly sponsored by Mums Matter Psychology—because your mental health matters. Frances and her expert team of psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists are passionate about providing affordable, high-quality mental health care for pregnant women and parents with children up to 4 years old. Through Medicare bulk-billed therapy sessions—up to 20 at no cost to you—they make support accessible to everyone. If you’re in Victoria, visit one of their welcoming clinic locations. Outside Victoria? Their nationwide Telehealth services bring care to your fingertips. Mums Matter Psychology also offers a range of online therapy groups and webinars, providing additional ways to access support and connect with others on a similar journey. Ready to take the next step? Visit mumsmatterpsychology.com to learn more and book your appointment today.   FOLLOW the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @perinatalstoriesaustralia for more maternal mental health stories, education, advocacy, and community. PLEASE leave a review or rating on your favourite apps or consider buying me a coffee (well, preferably a tea!) :) VISIT the website perinatalstoriesaustralia.com to share your story or to see more content from the podcast guests. MADE WITH LOVE by Rebecca (host, founder, storyteller) x

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• 40 | Dayna - birth trauma, PTSD, D-MER, anxiety, panic attacks, talk therapy, medication

  Dayna’s story really gives meaning to the phrase one thing after another. When she birthed her son, there was no golden hour or newborn bubble, which is something she’s still grieving. Instead, there was an emergency c-section, a dystonic reaction, mistreatment from hospital staff, over 30 hours of separation from her baby, and a special care nursery admission, not to mention flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks, rage, and hypervigilance. More curveballs only compounded this trauma in the form of dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER), ongoing physical pain, cow’s milk protein allergy, a six-month waitlist to see a psychologist, and returning to work at a hospital. The mental health impacts of birth trauma are real, and Dayna articulates this with such vulnerability and insight - and a bit of humour too. Through this conversation, she tells a story about parallels and contradictions, about mothering with trauma, about how her work as a nurse both helped and complicated her experience, and about the unforgettable experiences that will stay with her for a long time - for both the right and wrong reasons. This episode will make you feel every emotion - one after another, after another.   EPISODE SPONSOR This episode of Perinatal Stories Australia is proudly sponsored by Mums Matter Psychology—because your mental health matters. Frances and her expert team of psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists are passionate about providing affordable, high-quality mental health care for pregnant women and parents with children up to 4 years old. Through Medicare bulk-billed therapy sessions—up to 20 at no cost to you—they make support accessible to everyone. If you’re in Victoria, visit one of their welcoming clinic locations. Outside Victoria? Their nationwide Telehealth services bring care to your fingertips. Mums Matter Psychology also offers a range of online therapy groups and webinars, providing additional ways to access support and connect with others on a similar journey. Ready to take the next step? Visit mumsmatterpsychology.com to learn more and book your appointment today.   FOLLOW the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @perinatalstoriesaustralia for more maternal mental health stories, education, advocacy, and community. PLEASE leave a review or rating on your favourite apps or consider buying me a coffee (well, preferably a tea!) :) VISIT the website perinatalstoriesaustralia.com to share your story or to see more content from the podcast guests. MADE WITH LOVE by Rebecca (host, founder, storyteller) x

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