EP 23 | Lilly - Slowing Down in Postpartum, Career & Identity, an Unsettled Baby & Matrescence

In this episode, Lilly shares her postpartum experiences with her two boys, Roo and Franklin.

We discuss:

• Becoming a mother after years of supporting women as a midwife
• Roo’s emergency caesarean birth under general anaesthetic
• Processing an unexpected birth experience and wanting to “make up for lost time”
• The intense vulnerability and hormonal shifts of early postpartum
• Lilly’s unexpected instinct to stay home, slow down and protect her postpartum space
• Learning to listen to her own needs rather than expectations from the outside world
• Gradually re-emerging into the world when she felt ready
• Finding connection with other mothers through pilates and walking groups
• Why “mums need mums”
• The huge shift in Lilly’s relationship with her career after becoming a mother
• The complexities of combining motherhood with shift work, on-call work and a career in healthcare
• Preparing Roo for the arrival of his sibling
• Meeting Franklin after a very rapid vaginal birth
• The transition from parenting one child to two
• Recovering from mastitis in the early weeks postpartum
• Navigating weeks of having a very unsettled baby
• The emotional impact of prolonged crying and questioning yourself as a mother
• The small, practical acts of self-care and self-preservation that helped Lilly through
• The impact of having a second baby on Lilly and Ben’s relationship
• Matrescence and becoming a new version of yourself with each baby
• What Lilly found unexpected about her postpartum experiences
• The physicality, vulnerability and extraordinary love of motherhood

Lilly also co-hosts Growing, a podcast with fellow midwife and mum Beth. Together they share honest conversations about their current “growing pains” and the beautiful “glimmers” that exist throughout motherhood. I absolutely loved listening to Growing throughout my own postpartum period and highly recommend giving it a listen.

You can find Growing at @growingthepodcast and Lilly at @lillian.beth.

This is the podcast episode that discusses unsettled babies that Lilly recommends in the episode:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-19-unsettled-babies-with-dr-eliza-hannam/id1697674632?i=1000636691242

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