People blog for loads of different reasons. You have the bloggers who do it for the money, the bloggers who want to raise awareness, the bloggers who just love to talk and the bloggers who want to share their opinions and beliefs in a space online that they have carved out as their own. Recently I have been questioning why I blog, why do I spend hours of my life tapping away at this computer, crafting posts that I hope will you all read and enjoy. The answer has changed over the three and a half years I have been writing Naptime Natter, it started as a diary, then a place to create an income of my own and has evolved into a home of completely unfiltered honesty about motherhood and family life. Since I began blogging about post natal depression and the loneliness and challenges of motherhood, I have received several comments, emails and private messages from other parents thanking me for my words, from other parents who have felt just the same as me. Today I wanted to do something a little bit different, I have written a poem for all those people who have struggled, whether with their mental health or the day to day challenges that we experience as parents. To all of you who have related to the stories I have shared on this blog, I write for you.
I write for you
To the pregnant mum who can’t afford NCT,
who doesn’t have a bump buddy or a friend to ask around for coffee.
To the pregnant mum who isn’t glowing,
who can’t deal with the hormones or people asking how long she’s been showing.
To the pregnant mum who is fed up and in pain,
who is terrified of labour and the fact life is never going to be the same again.
To the pregnant mum who can’t bear to hear another person ask when are you due?
I write for you.
To the new mum with a baby who won’t stop crying,
who is so exhausted and sleep deprived she feels like she might be dying.
To the new mum who hates her new body,
who feels like a wobbly and squishy version of the woman she used to be.
To the new mum who feels anxious and afraid,
who worries about every parenting decision she has ever made.
To the new mum who is overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do,
I write for you.
To the mum with depression who feels sad every day,
who feels alone and angry because motherhood wasn’t meant to be this way.
To the mum with depression who thinks she is an awful mother,
who doesn’t feel good enough and thinks her child would be better raised by another.
To the mum with depression who cries herself to sleep.
who rarely laughs or smiles and uses all her energy to not constantly weep.
To the mum with depression who thinks no one knows what she is going through,
I write for you.
To the anxious mum whose heart won’t stop racing,
who feels breathless and sweaty and has a mind that is pacing.
To the anxious mum who is scared of her own brain,
who has thoughts of terrible things happening again and again.
To the anxious mum who is too scared to go out,
who is full of fear, intrusive thoughts and self doubt.
To the anxious mum who can’t see that these bad thoughts are untrue,
I write for you.
To the mum of the toddler screaming on the floor,
who is trying to be calm and patient but feels like she can’t take much more.
To the mum of the toddler who has just hit another child,
who feels embarrassed and flustered as her offspring runs wild.
To the mum of the toddler who is always shouting no,
who is desperate to believe the other parents who say this is a phase he will outgrow.
To the toddler mum who is hiding and crying in the loo,
I write for you.
To lonely mum standing at the school gate,
who no one ever speaks to so she has started being purposefully late.
To the lonely mum at baby group sitting on her own,
who would love to be part of a mum group but instead finds company in her phone.
To the lonely mum at the kids party who struggles to make conversation,
who feels ignored and isolated and wishes she’d lost the party invitation.
To the lonely mum who would love a friend or two,
I write for you.
To everyone who has felt physically or mentally alone,
who has no one to talk to and has feelings that to friends and family remain unknown.
To everyone who has found themselves struggling through the day,
who feel like they’ve been cheated out of happiness and life will now always be this way.
To everyone who wishes life was a little less hard,
who pray that this dark patch they’re going through won’t leave them permanently scarred.
To everyone who needs to read something honest and something true,
I write for you.
**
If you feel like you may be suffering with post natal depression here is a list of resources and charities that can help and support you.
For my honest experience of post natal depression and articles all about maternal mental health, please visit the mental health section of my blog.
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If you enjoyed this post I would love for you to share it 🙂
This is a beautiful, powerful post. Such an important topic.
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Author
Thank you for reading and for your lovely comment xx
Such a moving poem. It’s easy to get lost in your own little world when you’re home with the kids – we forget that there are so many people around us who may be going through similar things. These are feelings and moments we can all relate to.
Author
Exactly! When you spend lots of time on your own with the kids you can definitely end up feeling like no one else in the world knows what you are going through xx
What a lovely and touching poem.
Thank you for taking the time to write on this topic and help a lot of moms not feel alone!
Author
Thank you for reading, I really hope it does help other mums out there who feel the same xx
Wow. This is absolutely beautiful. So raw but so touching. X
Holy moly, this is perfect. This just puts all those feelings that we have all felt into words and it is liberating to know that other people feel exactly the same. I am at the school gate phase with one child and the “baby won’t stop crying” with the other one and it’s hard to juggle everything with no friends to talk to. This is so perfect, it made me cry a little. Definitely going to share this far and wide.
Oh wow – I feel so emotionally reading this. What a beautifully written and powerful poem; I’m sure it will touch the hearts of many 🙂
Treasure Every Moment recently posted…PARENTHOOD: My Top Hacks for Days when you are Solo Parenting Two Children
This is such a beautiful poem. I’ve been there through all of that and so many blogs have helped me on the way so thank you for writing for every single one of us 🙂
What a lovely, touching poem. I’m sure we can all relate to this. #TriumphantTales
Author
Thank you for reading xx
What a beautiful poem! Thank you for raising awareness and reaching out to people.
What a beautiful poem to read. You’ve done it so well to reach e eryobe who might need it. Well done x
You write beautifully and powerfully. I think I would’ve loved to have found these words in tough times.
Very moving and beautifully written X #triumphanttales
I sometimes question myself about ehy I started blogging, this is an important post.
I am many of these mums! An important topic that often goes unnoticed as being a mum is deemed a ‘life choice’. Hardest job in the world. Thank you for writing this.
This is so beautiful and made me cry. I have been several of those Mums over the course of the last five years. I’m not that lonely school Mum who tries to avoid the school run, or gets there late and gets so anxious at the idea of kids parties. Loneliness is so real. x
This is beautiful. I am sure your posts have helped many women to realise they are not alone.
#TriumphantTales
This is such an emotionally charged poem. It’s so beautiful and honest, and perfect. I love that you write for the parents out there, to be there for mums and dads at their time of need. xx
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A very beautifully written post and you’ve spoken to so many people within it. I am sure each person reading this can relate to some of this, and hopefully they now won’t feel as alone and that there is help
Oh Wendy this is so beautifully powerful and so emotive! I think that’s all that needs to be said. Thanks so much for linking up to #coolmumclub xx
Wow. Just wow! Very powerful words! This is very raw and true. #coolmumclub
This is just lovely Wendy. I think you have really found your stride with your words around PND and you are doing great things lovely x x x
Thanks for linking to #CoolMumClub
Wow I won’t lie, I had a lump in my throat reading this. It is a stunning piece of writing. You captured each phase of motherhood perfectly and all the imperfect feelings that go with them. Suddenly I don’t feel so inadequate as a mother! Thank you, Tracey. #CoolMumClub
Beautifully written Wendy – this brought tears to my eyes. You really are a very talented lady and we are lucky to have this blog for us to hear your voice. XX
Wendy, this is beautiful and even made me get a little something in my eye. I know of your struggles and I hope that you are doing okay. I know you will have made many others feel a little less alone by writing this. Thank you for sharing with #TriumphantTales. xx
Beautifully written and something we can all no doubt agree with at some point.
I read this poem on Facebook. It’s absolutely wonderful
Hi lovely. So I’ve just watched Talya’s video rendition of this. Absolutely BLOWN away. What an incredible piece of writing in every way. Facebarsteward probably won’t notify you of the tag but I’m sharing T’s video later on this evening and now I’ve found this on your site, will share this in a few days too. Clever mama, you. There can’t be one mum who doesn’t relate to part or all of this! Bravo xx
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This is amazing!!! You’re so talented!!! #blogcrush