The Postpartum Season

In this episode, Tayla shares her two postpartum experiences, including recovering from caesarean births, choosing to formula feed, navigating postpartum anxiety and returning to paid work earlier than she had hoped.
We discuss:
Finding out unexpectedly that she was pregnant with her first daughter, Emily
Becoming a mother without a relationship with her own mum
The enormous support Tayla has received from her mother-in-law
Preparing for a planned caesarean and worrying about physical recovery
Meeting Emily for the first time
The challenges of those first days in hospital and adjusting to caring for a newborn
Recovering physically from a caesarean birth
Tayla's decision to formula feed both of her children
The judgement and pressure she experienced around her feeding choices
Navigating conflicting feeding advice and concerns about Emily's weight gain
Learning to trust her instincts as a first-time mum
Experiencing anxiety during her first postpartum season
Returning to paid work when Emily was just under three months old
Navigating daycare and adjusting to being away from her baby
Preparing for postpartum with a second baby
Maintaining Emily's routine during the transition from one child to two
Practical postpartum preparation, including meal preparation and creating a calm home environment
Meeting Paul and recovering from a second caesarean
Feeling much more confident as a mother the second time around
Watching Emily meet her baby brother for the first time
The challenges of adjusting to life with two young children
Feeling a temporary change in her relationship with Emily after Paul's arrival
Paul becoming seriously unwell at just 10 days old and requiring hospital care
How this experience contributed to significant postpartum anxiety
Paul being admitted to hospital again with RSV at 10 weeks old
Experiencing prolonged postpartum bleeding and the anxiety surrounding her recovery
Struggling with sleep, withdrawing from the outside world and feeling increasingly anxious
Why Tayla wishes she had sought mental health support earlier
The importance of opening up to trusted friends and family
How regular conversations with her husband and friends helped Tayla feel connected and supported
Returning to paid work earlier than she wanted because of financial pressures
The challenges of combining paid work, daycare and parenting two young children
Tayla's positive experience with her children's daycare
The joy of watching Emily and Paul's sibling relationship develop
Finding greater confidence in herself as a mother, partner and person
Learning who truly shows up for you during motherhood
This weeks sponsor is Rest in the Postpartum Season - guided yoga nidra practices created for mothers. 
If you’re looking for a simple way to slow down, rest and take a little time for yourself, you can find practices ranging from five to fifteen minutes at www.thepostpartumseason.com.
And if you would like to buy a Postpartum Season cap, click this link below:
https://www.thepostpartumseason.com/store/p/the-postpartum-season-cap
Thank you for supporting the podcast!
As mentioned in the episode, here are some postpartum support resources. Please reach out if you need help.
Australia
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)
Helpline: 1300 726 306
Website: https://www.panda.org.au
Lifeline Australia
13 11 14 (24/7)
Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au
 
New Zealand
PlunketLine
0800 933 922 (24/7)
Healthline New Zealand
0800 611 116 (24/7)
1737 Need to talk?
Call or text 1737 (24/7)
 
Thank you for listening. Take care x

In this episode, George shares her experience of an unplanned caesarean, adjusting to her postpartum body, finding community and learning to surrender to the realities of new motherhood.
We discuss:
Finding out unexpectedly that she was pregnant with Teddy
Deciding there may never be a “right time” to become parents
Living in Sydney while most of George's family are in Tasmania
Realising how important community would become after having a baby
Preparing extensively for birth but much less for postpartum
Hoping for a low-intervention vaginal birth
Having an unplanned caesarean after more than 24 hours of labour
Feeling unprepared for what a caesarean and its recovery would involve
Meeting Teddy and not experiencing the immediate rush of emotion she expected
The guilt and self-blame George experienced after her birth
Learning to validate her own experience rather than comparing it with other people’s birth experience
The role pain played in George's emotional wellbeing during early postpartum
Beginning to talk openly about her birth and process some of the guilt and shame
Feeling unprepared for the physical reality of a postpartum body
The influence of “bounce back” culture and postpartum bodies portrayed online
Wondering whether her own body was normal because she hadn’t seen bodies like hers represented
Another mother reaching out and helping George realise she wasn’t alone
Finding the courage to share her postpartum body online
The response from thousands of women who felt seen and validated by her content
Moving from struggling with her body to feeling in awe of what it has done
The challenge of finding genuine friendships and community in early motherhood
Finally meeting other mums who made George feel seen in her experience
Navigating sleep deprivation at around six months postpartum
The enormous identity shift that comes with motherhood
The joy of watching Teddy’s personality begin to emerge
George's feeling that motherhood has brought a sense of contentment she had been searching for
You can find George on Instagram at @georgina.raynerrr.
 
A big thank you to ergoPouch for sponsoring this week’s episode.
Use the code PPS20 at checkout to receive 20% off the ergoPouch range. Valid until 31 October 2026. Terms and conditions apply.
You can find out more about ergoPouch at @ergopouch, and you can browse their range at www.ergopouch.com.au.
 
As mentioned in the episode, here are some postpartum support resources. Please reach out if you need help.
Australia
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)
Helpline: 1300 726 306
Website: https://www.panda.org.au
Lifeline Australia
13 11 14 (24/7)
Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au
 
New Zealand
PlunketLine
0800 933 922 (24/7)
Healthline New Zealand
0800 611 116 (24/7)
1737 Need to talk?
Call or text 1737 (24/7)
 
Thank you for listening. Take care x

In this bonus episode of The Postpartum Season, I’m joined by Tegan Gilchrist, a senior director at The Parenthood, an Australian advocacy organisation campaigning for the social and economic infrastructure parents need to make life work for modern families.
Tegan shares some of the challenges facing parents today, including the tension between work and caring responsibilities in the context of systems designed for another era,  the cost and availability of early learning, and the pressure parents can experience as their families move through different stages.
We also talk about what The Parenthood is advocating for: 12 months of paid parental leave for families, high-quality and accessible early learning, and more family-friendly workplaces.
Tegan explains why giving fathers and partners dedicated opportunities to take parental leave matters — not only in supporting mothers during the first year, but in establishing shared care from the beginning. We discuss the idea of the “default parent”, the role that time plays in building confidence and connection as a caregiver, and why creating better systems for families can benefit mothers, fathers, children and the wider community.
We finish by talking about The Parenthood’s vision for Australian families and how parents can get involved in advocating for change.
You can find out more about The Parenthood at:
https://www.theparenthood.org.au
Or follow along on instagram at @theparenthood.
Important links that were mentioned in the episode:
Address by Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, at the National Press Club:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brIRti7aEpg
The Parenthood Paid Parental Leave Petition:
https://www.theparenthood.org.au/first_year_foundations
Also, as mentioned in the episode, here are some postpartum support resources. Please reach out if you need help.
Australia
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)
Helpline: 1300 726 306
Website: https://www.panda.org.au
Lifeline Australia
13 11 14 (24/7)
Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au
 
New Zealand
PlunketLine
0800 933 922 (24/7)
Healthline New Zealand
0800 611 116 (24/7)
1737 Need to talk?
Call or text 1737 (24/7)
 
Thank you for listening. Take care x

In this episode, Caitlin shares her experience of becoming a mother while living overseas without family nearby, mothering without her own mum, and how motherhood has changed her perspective as a NICU nurse.
We discuss:
Finding out she was pregnant with Maeve
Caitlin’s experience of pregnancy as a NICU nurse and feeling that sometimes she “knows too much”
The balance between being informed and becoming overwhelmed by everything that could go wrong
Preparing practically for postpartum without fully understanding the emotional transition ahead
Grieving the end of life as just Caitlin and Stefano before becoming parents
Preparing to raise a baby in New Zealand while their families lived overseas
Maeve’s labour progressing quickly from three to eight centimetres
Maeve’s heart rate dropping during pushing and being taken into theatre
An episiotomy and vacuum-assisted birth
Meeting their daughter for the first time
Establishing breastfeeding and Caitlin’s experience of colostrum harvesting
Staying at Birthcare after Maeve’s birth
The unexpected pain of recovering from an episiotomy
Realising how much physical recovery required her to slow down
Planning a wedding during pregnancy and getting married in Italy when Maeve was four months old
Travelling overseas with a young baby and having Caitlin and Stefano’s families and friends finally meet Maeve
Becoming a mother after losing her own mum at 23
The bittersweet experience of joy and grief existing at the same time
Missing the experience of being mothered while learning to mother your own child
Grieving the grandparent relationship Caitlin wishes her children could have had with her parents
Celebrating Maeve’s relationship with Stefano’s parents
The ways Caitlin’s mum continues to influence how she wants to mother her own children
Returning to NICU after becoming a mother
How motherhood has deepened Caitlin’s empathy for NICU parents
The emotional impact of caring for babies and families after having a child herself
Caitlin’s passion for supporting and educating parents in NICU
Returning to paid work and wanting to continue a career she deeply loves
The challenges of balancing paid work and motherhood
Preparing to welcome a second baby without family support nearby
The sadness Caitlin feels about Maeve no longer being their only child
Looking forward to experiencing the newborn stage again
Savouring the fleeting seasons of having a baby
Trusting your instincts and recognising that you often know more than you think you do
This weeks sponsor is Rest in the Postpartum Season - guided yoga nidra practices created for mothers. 
If you’re looking for a simple way to slow down, rest and take a little time for yourself, you can find practices ranging from five to fifteen minutes at www.thepostpartumseason.com.
And if you would like to buy a Postpartum Season cap, click this link below:
https://www.thepostpartumseason.com/store/p/the-postpartum-season-cap
Thank you for supporting the podcast!
As mentioned in the episode, here are some postpartum support resources. Please reach out if you need help.
Australia
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)
Helpline: 1300 726 306
Website: https://www.panda.org.au
Lifeline Australia
13 11 14 (24/7)
Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au
 
New Zealand
PlunketLine
0800 933 922 (24/7)
Healthline New Zealand
0800 611 116 (24/7)
1737 Need to talk?
Call or text 1737 (24/7)
 
Thank you for listening. Take care x

In this episode, Lucia shares the story of becoming a mother to Edmund, losing him after 40 days in NICU, and how his life profoundly shaped her experience of motherhood, grief and matrescence.
We discuss:
Lucia’s journey towards deciding she wanted to become a mother
Her waters breaking at 24 weeks
Spending two weeks in hospital on bed rest
The feelings of fear, sadness and that her body had failed her
Preparing for the possibility of an extremely premature baby
Becoming unwell at 26 weeks and Edmund’s emergency birth
Edmund being born at 26 weeks weighing 820 grams
Meeting and touching Edmund for the first time in NICU
Recovering from an emergency caesarean while wanting to spend every moment with her baby
The infection that contributed to Lucia becoming unwell
Struggling physically and emotionally during the early postpartum period
Asking for mental health support and being taken seriously by the hospital team
Pumping milk for Edmund while he was in NICU
Seeking further support through her GP and eventually a perinatal psychologist
The extraordinary support Lucia and David received from the NICU team
The emotional uncertainty of having a critically unwell premature baby
Edmund’s 40 days in NICU
Discovering a congenital abnormality affecting Edmund’s lung
Making the devastating decision to move Edmund into palliative care
Spending precious time together as a family before saying goodbye
Holding Edmund as he took his final breath
Creating memories after his death, including bathing, dressing and photographing him
The importance of photographs and memories during grief
Lucia and David experiencing grief in very different ways
Learning to respect a partner’s individual way of grieving
The role of perinatal psychological support after infant loss
Leaving hospital without your baby and navigating postpartum after loss
The grief of no longer returning to NICU every day
Lucia’s experience of matrescence
The difficult experience with Lucia's workplace and maternity leave after Edmund died
How motherhood and loss changed Lucia’s relationship with her career
Learning that it was okay to say Edmund’s name and talk about him
Finding meaningful ways to honour and remember Edmund
Creating a children’s book about Edmund for his cousins
Fundraising to support families experiencing NICU
The annual workout held in Edmund’s memory
Deciding when to try for another baby after loss
Welcoming Alfie and later Watson
How Lucia’s first postpartum experience shaped her subsequent postpartum seasons
Parenting with a greater awareness of how precious and short life can be
Lucia’s message to her former self to run your own race, look after yourself and be kind to yourself
This weeks sponsor is Rest in the Postpartum Season - guided yoga nidra practices created for mothers. 
If you’re looking for a simple way to slow down, rest and take a little time for yourself, you can find practices ranging from five to fifteen minutes at www.thepostpartumseason.com.
And if you would like to buy a Postpartum Season cap, click this link below:
https://www.thepostpartumseason.com/store/p/the-postpartum-season-cap
Thank you for supporting the podcast!
As mentioned in the episode, here are some postpartum support resources. Please reach out if you need help.
Australia
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)
Helpline: 1300 726 306
Website: https://www.panda.org.au
Lifeline Australia
13 11 14 (24/7)
Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au
 
New Zealand
PlunketLine
0800 933 922 (24/7)
Healthline New Zealand
0800 611 116 (24/7)
1737 Need to talk?
Call or text 1737 (24/7)
 
Thank you for listening. Take care x