Motherhood Pre-Motherhood: A Young Adults Perspective/ Tangent

I would like to talk about something that is quite different from my normal crafts and makes that are featured on this here blog but not so different from my interests. This is where the 'Tangent Talker' part of my blog page header is used.

For a little while, I have been listening to Happy Mum, Happy Baby Podcasts by Giovanna Fletcher and inspired by her book on her journey as a mother. It may come as a surprise to people that I listen to these Podcasts because I am not a mother. However, I have learned SO much about motherhood, mental health after birth, difficulties and struggles and the brilliance of mums.

For a start, breastfeeding. I never knew the struggle women have when breastfeeding and specifically at the beginning. Did you know that newborn babies don't immediately know what they're doing? Which is the same as new parents who are learning as they go. Who knew? And nipple shields, I have no idea what they look like or what it is exactly they do but there is such a thing!

'Nipple Sheilds?'

Fertility struggles. A very common obstacle before reaching the most precious item you will ever own and in some cases never reach.

Mental health. From what I have heard from the mothers featured on the Podcasts, whilst pregnant and the weeks after birth the emotions are heightened. There is such a thing as 'three-day blues' which is on the third day after birth where you feel blue, down, emotional. This is something I have heard of before but innocently only thought it was this day and this day only and then you are back to a happy bubble in which you are fit to burst with euphoria.
Some mothers worry about bonding with there baby and fret about not feeling that instant connection like in the films. Sometimes the bond takes a little while longer than the first few hours after birth.
Sharing these things will help beat the stigma around mental health. Imagine a young girl or guy hearing this, reaching this point in their life and battling with mental health. Just maybe they would talk to somebody about how they are feeling, knowing that it is something others have gone through. In reverse, imagine a young girl or guy getting to this point in their life and feeling the weight of mental health- they don't talk to anyone for fear of ridicule or judgment.

The biggest thing I have taken from the Podcast is that (I'm using Giovanna's words here) there is no one way to parent. The systems that work for you and your baby are exactly that: the system that works for you. I can relate this to when I am learning a new craft technique and I am getting to grips with it, I will be taught the teachers way and then after a while find my own tricks and style.

At first, I didn't listen to the Podcasts because I thought 'well, I'm not a parent so it has nothing to do with me'. However, once I started to listen to one and then another and another I became enthralled with the information I didn't know.
I feel as though it is a most excellent idea (planted in my brain by Izzy Judd's Podcast in the series) that girls and boys in secondary school are taught about such things. Fertility struggles in particular- how are you meant to know what to do in this case? Or how are you to know, as a young teen, that it isn't easy to (for lack of a better word) harbour a baby or conceive?

The link to the Podcasts is below. I personally highly recommend it to people that are not mothers or fathers and even if you're not sure that children are in your future. You may get an insight into how parents around you are feeling or have once felt:

Here sits the link to Giovanna's podcast: Happy Mum, Happy Baby

#LearningAsYouGo

Thank you for reading! x

PS: there may be a part two of this as I still feel like I have more to say.