Motherhood is one of the most challenging and transformational experiences that a woman can go through – some will find that they’re filled with joy and love from the first minute, while others simply don’t, and then wrestle with guilt and shame.
The newborn days with my daughter were difficult – my husband was away for business, my mother was looking after my father who was in the late stages of cancer. I had my life upended with a new baby, and felt very alone and helpless. It didn’t help that my daughter did not like sleeping, and I was too stressed to sleep when she did. I constantly felt like I was just a glorified babysitter at that point, and it was disconcerting to see other mothers who were gushing about their children. I wondered if I was the only person to feel like this.
However, over time, and in conversations with other mums, I realised I wasn’t alone. To find out more about this, I talked to Silvia Wetherell, a certified counsellor at Alliance Counselling, to get more insights on why this happens, and what a new mum can do.